Servant of Bones
by titankisses
Summary: Devina has always been abominated for her supernatural prowess, until her friends are mysteriously murdered and she is recruited into The Black Order. There, she not only learns about Innocence, Akuma, the Millennium Earl and the Noah, but also about herself; everything she could never explain about her life suddenly unravels. {Lavi x OC}
1. Chapter 1

The 18-year-old redhead whistled as he made his way out of the Order's library. His boots squeaked loudly as he made his long ascent toward the cafeteria. A grin began to slowly mold itself onto his young face as he schemed one prank among several others to execute upon his friends. Allen and Kanda were not like to be trifled with, and someone outside Lavi's caliber wouldn't have dared touch either one of them.

Lavi's scheming, however, came to an abrupt halt, when he felt his ear being plucked between two wrinkled fingers, bringing him closer to their owner. "Ow, Gramps! What's this about now?"

Lavi was greeted by his short, old grumpy mentor Bookman; the old man wasn't Lavi's real grandfather, but Lavi was his successor as a Bookman, and the two have been companions for a long time now. The older man was almost entirely bald but for the tuft of grey hair sprouting on the top of his head. His eyes were adorned with black circles, earning him the title Panda. "What are you grinning about, fool?" The old man asked, squinting at his heir, still pinching the younger Bookman's ear.

"Ow, ow, ow, Gramps, let me go." The old man finally released him.

"Idiot. Komui has sent for us. He's waiting in the grand hall."

The younger male couldn't help gaping at his mentor. "Komui? At the grand hall? Do you know what he wants?"

The old man turned to give Lavi a look that would chill anyone's bones, but Lavi only grinned sheepishly. His face turned somber as they neared the grand hall. He couldn't wash the uneasiness clawing at his empty stomach. Komui usually called them to his office, not to the grand hall. Lavi followed Bookman silently henceforth, keeping his rigid thoughts to himself. He paused as they reached the entrance. _Shake it off._ He told himself, rushing after Bookman.

Lavi and Bookman entered the grand hall. It was entirely vacant, decorated by several painted windows, which currently brightened the dimly lit hall.

The sight that greeted him knocked the air out of his lungs. He felt his head spin, but he was as still as steel. His feet were anchored to the ground and he was forced to remind himself to breathe. He shook his head, blinking twice. _This can't be happening again._

He hated déjà vu.

"Bookman, Lavi. You're here." Komui said as he used his index finger to lift up his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Had he not spoken then, the red head wouldn't have noticed him. Komui was the Chief Officer of The Black Order's European Branch. Tall, well built and extremely witty, The Chief Officer was nearly perfect but for his two flaws: his sister complex and insane inventions. He had shoulder length hair that had a lilac tint to it, and he wore somewhat triangular glasses.

Lavi realized then that they were not the only ones summoned; Komui had assembled all the Exorcists present at The Black Order currently, and it seemed as generous a number as it would ever get. Lavi's green eye scanned his stoic raven-haired friend, steel-eyed Kanda. Kanda is grumpy, easy to insult and easier to anger. He's often mocked at for his feminine appearance and his short temper.

Kanda was standing as far as humanly possible from the white-haired Allen. Allen has grey-eyes and hair that ends a little underneath his ears. His left eye is scarred with a pentagram that stretches from above his eyebrow ending at his cheek.

No wonder they were standing so far away from each other, the two were always bickering about something.

Lavi counted himself and Bookman, and lastly between Allen and Kanda stood Lenalee Lee. _See? Lenalee's right there. Then… who is that standing before Komui?_

Lenalee Lee is Komui's younger sister and the reason Lavi almost lost his composure the moment he entered the grand hall. Her long emerald-tinted hair was tied up in the high pigtails she often sported, _except when I met her_.

His exposed eye darted between the two females, one wedged between his two friends and the other standing before Komui, and he gulped at their similar backs.

"This is Devina." Komui said as he noticed Lavi's unfaltering gaze. "She is our newest recruit." At the introduction, the new member of The Black Order turned around to face them.

Lavi's breath caught in his throat once more. _This has got to be a joke._

This… new recruit… this Devina… was heavily bandaged around her head, arms and legs. Her black hair ended mid-thigh, almost where the rag/dress she was wearing ended. Her eyes were wide and feline and onyx, but the left one was bruised and starting to turn blue. Her lips were plump but split from an attack. She was thin and barefoot.

Lavi felt his heart thump loudly in his chest; he was recalling his very first day in The Black Order, and a trip down memory lane was seldom very welcome. He had found Lenalee Lee in a very similar situation, looking very battered, weeping for the death of one of her comrades.

_But this girl is not weeping._

It took Lavi one last glance at Devina to decide that she was not a weeper.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Devina." The girl said cheerily, directing her new comrades.

Lavi just couldn't tell what it was but he did not want to fall for her cheerful act. Something about her made his blood boil.

"Hello, Devina. I'm Lenalee." Lenalee charged at the newcomer, delighted to have another female seemingly closer to her age than Miranda Lotto. "Nice meeting you!" The two tried to shake hands, Lenalee being careful with Devina's bandaged arm.

"Don't worry. It doesn't hurt anymore." Devina took Lenalee's extended hand and shook it fervently. "I'm sorry for my appearance," The girl said as she glanced at Lenalee's outfit and then at her own. "I don't usually look so horrible." She laughed, scratching the back of her neck.

"Please don't say that," Lenalee said urgently, her face a mixture of guilt and pity.

The Bookman Junior definitely needed to watch his temper. He was not angry person per se, but he was very surprised at the violent urges Devina was igniting in him. He wanted to create as much space as possible between the two females, and it made no sense to him, this immediate dislike he had taken to the poor girl.

"Devina, this is Allen Walker," Lenalee introduced Devina to the youngest male Exorcist in the room.

"Hi, Allen!" The two exchanged shy hellos but refrained from any physical contact.

"That there is Kanda,"

"Umm, hi." Devina waved at the raven-haired swordsman but he gave no response.

"Kanda!" Whined Lenalee, stomping towards him threateningly, "be nice to her!"

Kanda glared at the two young ladies, crossed his arms and looked away, uninterested.

"Awww, well. That right there is Bookman." Lenalee smiled at the old man.

"Wait, that old man is an Exorcist?" Devina blurted before she could help herself. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth too little too late. She had yet to know what the word Exorcist meant, and what an Exorcist's job really was, but she could hardly really picture this frail man do anything other than try not to hurt his back.

Lavi couldn't help the waves of laughter eroding his body. His first impression of her fading; she could certainly grow on him and he can definitely try to outgrow his misled misconceptions about her. He was grinning like a fool.

"You brat!" The smack to his head came out of the blue and the young Bookman failed to evade it in time.

"Oww, Gramps. She makes fun of you and I get punished for it?" Lavi's cries fell on deaf ears.

Lenalee laughed before continuing. "That next to him is Lavi."

Devina took in his appearance. He looked slightly older than her and much, much taller. He had nice red hair that was kept up with the support of a green bandana. His right eye was hidden beneath a black eye-patch; his left was a striking green.

"Nice eye-patch! Are you a pirate or something?" Devina questioned innocently, her lips pursing.

Silence fell and then laughter erupted.

"Now that the pleasantries are done with, I'd like to explain why I'd called you all here." Komui spoke, a serious edge to his voice. "It is true that Devina is one of us now, but I believe that her Innocence is out of control. She hasn't mastered the powers it harnesses and thus, this leaves her and everyone around her in mortal danger. I would like for her to be accompanied by an Exorcist until such time in which she doesn't need supervision and attention."

During the supervisor's speech, Devina's frame had shrunk considerably. Her cheerfulness had dwindled and Lavi blamed his unwarranted observations on his role as a Bookman-in-making, who records everything.

"Well, Komui… Aren't you going to explain everything to us?" Bookman finally asked.

The two adults stared at each other briefly before Komui took a long deep breath. His silence stretched but then he cleared his throat and began. "Devina told me she had always had this power, for as long as she remembered. It had isolated her, made people fear her, yet it brought her close to some children she considered her siblings, until recently. Because of her power, she was feared. She wasn't welcome at any institute or orphanage. She had to fend for herself and-"

"Is that really necessary?" Devina suddenly interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. She was filled with waves of embarrassment, shame, guilt and self-loathing. She did not enjoy hearing her story told by someone else, to strangers nonetheless. She didn't like the saddened pitiful looks these strangers wore, or the understanding one Allen seemed to send her way.

"Yes, as you please. Devina returned to her," Komui paused, "home, one night, to find her siblings murdered. The murderers were some people she angered. When they attacked her, her emotions were very heightened with her loss and grief and anger, and she caused quite a scene. General Klaud was in the area and she managed to snatch her and bring her in before the situation deteriorated."

"Will you explain everything to me now?" Devina's arms remained crossed but she began to tap her feet, a nervous habit. "I want to know why I should stay here."

Komui hesitated before giving her a weak smile. "I have enough reasons to persuade you, yes. For starters, you have nowhere to go. You have lost your family; you have no one. Is that right?"

Devina gulped but remained inarticulate.

"You will be cared for here. You will be fed, clothed; you will have a sufficient salary. You will-"

"I don't care about that. What is it that you want me to do? You call them Exorcists. What does that entail exactly? Why do they have to tail me?"

Komui gave a sly smile. "Ah, yes. Well, you see those powers you can't control?" Devina didn't answer but when Komui didn't continue, she gave a nod. "Each person standing here, except for me yields one type of power or another."

Devina couldn't help herself. "What?" She gasped. "You- you mean- you mean there are other people like me?"

"Well, not technically. As I told you earlier, what you posses is a power bestowed upon you: the Innocence, and it is used to fight The Millennium Earl's Akuma. The Innocence has different types. So far, we only know of two: Equipment and Parasitic. Your Innocence belongs to the latter, which is an anomaly, even among Innocence." Seeing Devina's face fall, Komui lifted his hand. "Wait, I am not finished. Most Exorcists here have Equipment type Innocence, except for Allen Walker and Arystar Krory."

Devina's face beamed. She clapped her hands together and jumped joyfully. "So, so, you guys can help?"

"What I am saying, with hard work, you can control your Innocence. This is reason number two, on why I think you should stay. In return for our training, food, and the roof that'll be over your head, you're expected to fight Akuma."

"What are those?" Devina asked, all traces of tension seeping from her body. She plopped down on the ground, her lanky legs woven into each other as she listened intently.

"The Akuma are demons created by The Millennium Earl's fallacy. Humans who lose their loved ones are often blinded with grief and loss. In their weakest moment, they're approached by The Millennium Earl and asked if they'd like to see the person they've lost once again. Most people agree, as you would guess to revive their loved ones and have them back at their side." Devina could definitely relate to that, but she said nothing and listened on carefully. "The Earl presents them with a skeleton in which they call the soul of their beloved, and then an Akuma is created. It's a monster, a vessel of sorts, with one or several human souls trapped within it. It devours humans and once it evolves, it even devours other Akuma."

"Wow, that sounds like it came straight out of a tale." Devina joked and laughed at her own jape. "Alright, you still didn't answer my question. Why I will be under supervision?"

"Because so far, your Innocence controls you, rather than the other way around and in case things get out of hand, I'd rather have you stopped than accidentally murder someone, or destroy our base, for instance." Komui explained patiently.

"Fair enough, fair enough." Devina paused. "Hmm, okay. Any more reasons I should join you?" She was already convinced, but she wanted to hear everything the Chief Officer had to say.

"There is one more." Komui says grimly, fixing his glasses. "If you try to walk out of the door, members of The Black Order will apprehend you."

"What?" Devina asked flatly. "Why? Isn't this my choice?" It was but a fleeting glance that the Chief stole at his younger sister, but Devina caught a flash of remorse, desperation and frustration in his dark eyes. She stood as abruptly as she had sat, waving her arms in the air. "You know what? I don't care. I'm in. Just…" _don't wear that look on your face ever again._

* * *

_Author's Note: This story is the result of a writing challenge suggested by my friend Pixie. After two weeks of incessant writing, we both decided we were ready to publish our work and receive some love. This would not be happening without her support and constructive criticism. Be sure to check out her Kurapika fic, Friendly Fire by mutedsymphony._


	2. Chapter 2

Komui beamed and clapped his hands together. He had lied about that last bit. After joining The Black Order, he had enforced several changes upon the Order, one of them was that Innocence hosts were left to join of their own free will; leaving, however, remained impossible, unless as a carcass. "Very well! That was just a joke, mind you. But once you enter the Order, you can never leave," Komui paused to look at her and she nodded her consent. "Alright, Devina-san, mind walking straight ahead," Devina followed his instructions, leading her along a trail of windows on each side, "Yes, yes, onwards. Now, turn left. Keep going straight and please wait for me behind that door."

Devina did as she was told, following Komui's orders and reaching a door that led into an open area. She closed the gate behind her, not feeling like eavesdropping. Instead, she studied her surroundings; the wide hallway stretched in a circular manner and she walked until she stood before a stretching metallic rail. From there, she could see across to the other side and even in the dark, she spotted several wooden doors. Above and bellow her, she noticed, were endless levels designed in the same manner as the floor she was on. The metallic rail she leaned on overlooked all the other floors, just like all the rails on all the other floors. She was happy every floor had a rail, which meant she could never end up getting a room that doesn't have a view. She was fascinated with how gigantic this place was and couldn't wait to explore it all.

* * *

Bookman was the first to break the silence. "Why did you call us here, Chief?"

The Chief Officer finally wiped his silly smiles, his brows colliding. "As you all heard, Devina is out of control. I will need you all to be very aware of where she is and what she is doing. I will go get her checked with Hevlaska now and then Lenalee can take her on a tour around the place. Meanwhile I'll get her a room. It'll be on the same floor as Bookman and Lavi's." Komui sighed.

"You want us to keep an extra eye on her, don't you?" Lavi inquired, biting the inside of his cheek. "Why do you want a Bookman to trail a beggar girl?"

"Lavi." The old man warned.

The Chief Officer seemed very perturbed. "I just have a bad feeling." He admitted.

At the admittance, the silent swordsman spoke up. "I'll keep an eye on her, as well, Komui."

The Chief gave him an appreciative nod. No one really understood the camaraderie between the two men − they were practically polar opposites − but it was there.

"Alright, I'll set up a timetable to suit your schedules to determine when each of you is supposed to watch Devina or train her. This is it for now. Any questions?"

Allen hesitated, before he raised his normal hand. "This isn't a question…" He trailed.

"Go on," The Chief nodded.

"Why do I get the feeling that you do not trust her? Isn't this what The Black Order is about? Having a place to belong to? People to come back to? Why not treat her like one of us, welcome her, like you've welcomed me, instead of treating her like an anomaly."

Komui seemed to think for a moment. "You're absolutely right, Allen-kun." He touched his chin and thought some more. "We'll make her feel welcome, yet she still must be monitored. I need to guarantee everyone's safety. However, I'll answer your question. It's not that I don't trust her…" The Chief trailed, lost in thought. "However, I didn't succumb to all the fuss about you and your curse," Allen sweat-dropped, no longer certain whether Komui was talking to him or to himself, "so I'm willing to trust her. We'll begin her training starting tomorrow and she'll hopefully control her Innocence shortly eliminating all this dread. Thank you for your time."

Komui began walking to the gate. He stopped midway as a thought crossed his mind. He turned around and chuckled. The team he'd assembled had followed him to exit the grand hall but at his abrupt stop, they froze in place. "I'm sorry, one last thing," Komui stood straight. "As per Allen's request, I'd like you all to keep everything that transpired here today to yourselves. I don't want members of the order to fear the girl or mistreat her, so that will help her feel more welcome, I think." Everyone returned the Chief's request with a curt nod before dispersing.

He turned around and continued on his way to the gate, only to be surprised to find it shut; a small smile snuck its way onto his lips and he opened the door to be greeted with Devina's back. He inhaled sharply, acknowledging the resemblance she had with his little sister.

"Devina-san," he called to her and was amused to realize he'd startled her by the way she'd jumped in the air. He wondered what world he'd pried her from. She turned around, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry, but it's time to have you checked up by Hevlaska." She nodded.

The two walked in a comfortable silence, one which Komui broke as they climbed a triangular-shaped slat which began to shake and then descend lower when Komui pressed his hand to a lit pod. "How do you like The Order so far?"

Devina didn't answer right away and instead tried to look for something to hang on to. "It's… interesting," she mused, "What's this, by the way?"

"It is called an elevator. And that's it? That's all you have to say?" Komui asked, traces of seriousness leaving him completely.

"Well, I like your base! It is absolutely bizarre and creepy and then the interior is kind of odd, but in a good way, and it's so bloody huge and your technology is beyond anything I've ever seen. I really like it." He liked her sudden outburst much better than her censored answer.

"Glad to hear it," he smiled, "we're here."

Her face fell, "oi, were you trying to distract me?" She demanded, hands resting on her waist.

"What are you talking about?" Komui asked, biting a smile as the elevator stopped moving.

"Komui-s-san," Komui looked startled but nodded for her to continue, "you said earlier there were two types of Innocence, Equipment and Parasitic, and that mine was Parasitic. What's the difference between the two exactly?"

"You see, Equipment types merely acquire their Innocence through a precious object or something they make a connection with. You saw my sister Lenalee?" Devina nodded, "well, her Innocence is called Dark Boots and it is basically that: her boots. She can take them off whenever she pleases but I suppose she doesn't feel quite comfortable without them anymore." He smiled bitterly. "Parasitic types however are much more intricate; their Innocence isn't an object but it usually is a part of their body. In Allen's case, his Innocence is his left hand. Parasitics are also special because their Innocence tries to protect them and they often project regenerative abilities."

By the end of his speech, Devina was nodding endlessly. She grinned, "Does that mean I got lucky?"

Komui cleared his throat, "you could choose to look at it that way, but Parasitics often die young because the Innocence exerts their bodies."

Devina felt so bad at how uncomfortable Komui looked. "Don't worry, I've always wanted to die young, anyway." She pushed the elevator's side doors open and studied her surroundings, leaving behind an awestruck Chief Officer.

The room was completely black but for several spotlights shining down on the two of them. Before Devina could make another step, something cold and fleeting wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground. She yelped out of surprise, and the sudden cold touch, but she did not struggle; instead, she inhaled, exhaled and instead tried to determine what it was that held her together.

It looked as if some transparent white-blue tentacles were draped over her arms and legs, holding her still, mid-air. A face, or so she thought, that was at least four times the size of a normal human's, was suddenly right before hers. The eyes of the thing before her were hidden by what she assumed were more tentacles, or hair. "Whoa, are you an Exorcist, too?"

"Y-yes, you must be Devina…"

The girl in question nodded, "mhmm, the one and only. And you must be Hevlaska," Devina gasped as she felt Hevlaska bump their heads together. It was a light bump that did not really hurt one bit, but the contact was rather gooey and cold and overwhelming.

"Two percent… six percent… eleven percent… seventeen percent… twenty-four percent… twenty-eight percent… thirty-two percent… It seems the most you're able to synchronize with your Innocence is thirty-seven percent." Hevlaska stated calmly.

Devina bit her lower lip, "I guess that's quite low, isn't it?"

"Not to worry, Devina-san, with a little bit of training, your synchronicity rate will skyrocket." Komui reassured her meekly from down bellow; Devina appreciated the effort regardless.

"I hope so," she smiled down at him.

"Devina… The Reaper," Hevlaska mumbled.

"What?" Komui and Devina asked simultaneously.

"The road ahead of you is not going to be light, child," Hevlaska continued, as if possessed by a power greater than any of them could comprehend.

"Never been an easy one, Hevi," Devina muttered under her breath.

"There will come a time in the near future, where you will have to make a choice, one that would affect your life forever," Devina could not help the chills running down her back, and how cold she suddenly felt, yet she decided there was nothing she can do about it now. Hevlaska sat her down slowly inside the elevator with Komui. "I'm sorry if I startled you. All I wanted was to have a look at your Innocence."

"Don't worry about it, Hevi," as soon as the words left her lips, Devina felt the elevator shake, "thank you, Hevlaska. See you soon!" She waved while Komui chuckled at her antics. "What now?" She tapped her feet against the elevator tiles.

"Well, Lenalee will take you on a tour around headquarters and then you can have a bite to eat. After that, I suggest you get some sleep to preserve some well-needed energy for tomorrow's training." Komui briefed.

Devina smiled coyly, "and what about you? What'll you be doing meanwhile?"

"I'll be setting up your room- wait," as realization fell over the Chief's face, heat crept upon his cheeks, "what are you doing?" _Why am I answering her questions?_

Devina just giggled and leaned back against the elevator's metallic rail, enjoying the sight of a flustered Chief Officer. For her first day, she was doing a pretty decent job.

The elevator stopped at the fourth floor and Devina was greeted by Lenalee's warm smile. Devina turned to salute the Chief Officer who had his back to her, "see you later, Chief Komui,"

"U-um, yes,"

The moment Devina stepped out, the elevator took off, ascending to a higher floor.

"Did my brother try to flirt with you?" Lenalee asked worriedly.

Devina was shocked, "what? No, not at all. Why? Does he have a history of flirting with innocent young female Exorcists-in-the-making?" Devina asked, digging for some dirt.

"No, no," Lenalee giggled, "I'm just checking because you're really pretty."

Devina froze. She tried hard not to smile. "Thank you, you're very pretty, too." She then fake sighed, "and that's such a relief. No offense, but your brother isn't my type."

The two girls laughed; it was easy to say they got along pretty nicely, and as Komui exited the elevator on the sixth floor, he was submerged with a joy unlike any other at the fact that his sister had finally found someone she could consider a friend of the same gender. He was even happier Devina was adjusting so nicely, and was a little shocked at how open and forward the young girl is.

The room he had chosen for the Exorcist-to-be was two rooms to the left of Bookman and Lavi's shared room. Komui entered the appointed room to check the state of it and whether or not it had been cleaned up as he had instructed. He was pleased to find out that her belongings have already been brought in, yet he couldn't help the way his heart constricted at the sight of the little sack that seemed to hold her few belongings. He had to remind himself to find her something to wear and to also rush Johnny into getting her measurements and making her uniform (and some extra outfits, if possible).

* * *

_Author's Note: I forgot to mention previously that this story is probably going to be updated once a week, hopefully every Wednesday. I think that's a manageable pace, one that I can keep up with. Please review to help motivate me. I'd really like to know what you all think about it so far, and if anyone at all would like to keep reading this._


	3. Chapter 3

Two rooms to the left, Lavi was sprawled on Bookman's bed, a book resting on his chest as his eye scanned the text, while Bookman meditated on a spot that was not covered with either newspapers, textbooks or papers.

The older man all but slammed his boots in his successor's face making the latter cry in protest. "Get off the bed, you lump."

"Alright, alright. It's your fault for giving me the lower bunk, Old Panda; makes me laze around all day." The green-eyed Exorcist/Bookman Junior complained, closing his book and tossing it atop the nearest pile to their bunk beds. "What do you think of the new girl?"

The old man mused, "She seems dangerous and reckless. She'll fit in here quite well," Lavi frowned, "you don't like her?"

"I don't know her well enough to judge." Lavi tried to sound nonchalant but he knew Bookman heard the strain in his voice.

"What is it?"

"I just don't understand… She's just been traumatized; weakened and exposed to facts about herself she hadn't had a clue about… I don't understand how she can be so…"

"Calm?" The older man offered.

Lavi nodded. "I just have a feeling that she's hiding something or that we're missing something."

The two rarely agreed but Bookman couldn't help but see eye to eye with his successor. The serious atmosphere was interrupted, however, when Lavi's stomach growled. The two shared a quick glance before Lavi ducked to evade Bookman's shoe flying at his face. He quickly left afterwards with the intention of heading to the cafeteria.

* * *

Lenalee had taken Devina to see The Science Division, where she met many friendly men with names she couldn't attach to particular faces; she remembered a Johnny, a Reever, or a Tapp, maybe a George. Then Lenalee took her to the Medical Wing, where she felt like a trespasser, and she was extremely happy to leave. Lenalee then took her to the fourth floor, which belonged entirely to the Intelligence Division or the Finders. The Finders, according to the female Exorcist are ordinary people who track Innocence and scout any rumors of the Innocence's whereabouts to report back to headquarters who then send the Exorcists on missions to retrieve the Innocence. Exorcists apparently do not only kill Akuma but also collect the Innocence before it falls into the Earl's hands who will go on and destroy said Innocence eliminating the threats it poses: which are the destruction of the Akuma and the Earl's plans.

The two girls ended up on the sixth floor, where Lenalee was showing Devina her room-to-be. "I don't have the keys yet, but we'll get them when we see Komui." Lenalee scanned the floor, hopeful to spot her brother. "Oh, the shared bathrooms are that way. The females' are always empty and clean though because there aren't many women in The Order." She stated matter-of-factly.

"It must get lonely, sometimes." Devina blurted.

Lenalee raised a brow but relaxed at Devina's devastated face. "It used to," she admitted, "until my brother joined The Order."

"You two didn't…?" Devina trailed, not wanting Lenalee to say anything she didn't want to.

"No, The Order recruited me a long time ago by force; my brother gave up everything to come work here and be with me." She seemed lost in thought.

Devina nudged her, "well, he seems happy here, like he belongs…" she smiled.

Lenalee smiled back, "he is, he does. Come on, I wanna show you the libr-"

"Hey, what are you two girls doing here?" The two girls turned around to spot Lavi approaching them.

"Hey Lavi," Lenalee smiled kindly, "I was just showing Devina her new room and where the bathrooms are before-"

Lavi's stomach growled, interrupting her speech and the redheaded teenager chuckled embarrassedly. "I was just on my way to the cafeteria, wanna join?" He asked, directing his question mostly to Lenalee.

"Sure," Lenalee answered, and the two began to lead the way to the cafeteria.

Devina remained passively quiet, unsure whether to follow them or not.

"You, too, Devina." Lavi glanced back at her with his emerald orb. She nodded and followed. Lavi had decided that if he were to discover what was behind her unflinching mask, he needed to start acting friendly, and who better than Bookman Junior, the 18-year-old with 49 aliases and personalities to befriend the Exorcist-to-be.

* * *

Devina didn't know what it was about the redhead; whether it was the annoying confident strut or the ease with which he conversed with Lenalee, yet completely neglected her. However, she was absolutely sure that she hated his guts and his perfect face with his immaculate nose and his shiny green eye and his stupid eye-patch and his straight white teeth and his soft-looking lips. He just annoyed her to no end. He did seem appealing at first sight but with each ticking second, Devina felt her distaste toward him grow. He was so smitten with Lenalee it was so palpable and pathetic. Devina wanted to help him pick his dignity off the floor because Lenalee was too busy including her in every conversation he strikes instead of just enjoying his attention and she was clearly not interested in him.

_Thank god, we're here,_ Devina thought as they entered the vast orange and yellow hall. There was an insurmountable amount of tables and chairs seating Finders and Exorcists and scientists and healers. Devina noticed the binary division between the members of each section of the Order. The Finders filled the most seats. She was soon distracted by the delicious smell of various cuisines and she ogled each table and every dish upon it. Her stomach protested mildly, louder than Lavi's stomach had dared, and she bit the inside of her cheek in embarrassment. Lavi chuckled and pointed at an open window with a dark-skinned male who was seemingly taking orders from a tall bald man.

Devina dashed forward and stood behind the man, Lavi following her out of curiosity, and well, hunger. When it was Devina's turn to order, she turned to Lavi and gulped. "What do I do?"

Lavi couldn't help but grin. "You tell Jerry whatever dish you want so he can prepare it for you. Hurry up, I'm hungry." He teased and her face fell. She gave him her back and beamed at the cook, Jerry, Lavi had called him.

"Hi, Jerry, my name's Devina, I'm a new Exorcist in training here." She kept her smile on as she spoke.

"What can I get you, Devina, new Exorcist in training?" Jerry asked in amusement.

"You'll make me anything I want?" She asked, almost salivating.

"Anything."

"Free of charge?"

"Why, of course."

Devina gulped, took a long, deep, deep, deep breath. "I want five double cheeseburgers, two large margaritas, yes, pizza! I want seven bowls of chicken ramen and three plates of your best sushi and uhh, three, no, four stacks of dumplings and chocolate cakes and donuts for dessert, and I'll have some orange juice."

Jerry blinked back at her before he broke into a grin, "we got ourselves another Walker, here!" Jerry bellowed to the entire hall, who in turn cheered, while Devina stared at him blankly, not following. "Your order will be coming right up, Devina-san!" Devina beamed and turned around to come face-to-face with a stunned Lavi. She smirked before she sidestepped to allow him to order.

Devina saw Lenalee standing behind Lavi and decided to stand by her. "You've got quite an appetite," Lenalee joked.

"I have never, ever- I mean, this is a feast. I can't wait to eat everything." Devina exclaimed.

Lenalee laughed, "It's because you're Parasitic, Allen's just the same."

And as if on cue, the white-haired exorcist entered the cafeteria and made his way toward his friends. "Hello Lenalee, Devina,"

The three exchanged greetings and pleasantries while Lavi ordered his lunch, then it was Lenalee's turn, and lastly, Allen.

"Jerry-san~" the young Exorcist beamed, "I'm starving," he gasped; the two exchanged some pleasantries before he launched into what seemed like an automated recitation of a list of really, really delicious dishes. "I'll have some mashed potatoes, French fries, dried curry, beef pies, meat stew, Caesar salad, capriccio, kibbeh, spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, chicken tikka masala and some noodles and rice. As for dessert, I'd like some chocolate and vanilla ice cream and about twenty dumplings," Allen heaved, "thanks Jerry."

Devina blinked, and fought the heat that threatened to trail up her neck and onto her cheeks. _Is that what I just did?_

"Let's go sit with Yuu until our food is ready," Lavi suggested, leading the group.

Devina wondered who this 'you' he referred to was but refrained from asking, and instead followed suit. She didn't feel like striking any sort of conversation with the redhead and instead felt her body cringe away from him, leaning more towards the gentler looking Allen.

Allen was softer and shorter than Lavi; he was well built, not to an intimidating point, but in a way that flattered his height and innocent face.

"Yuu!" Lavi cried out, running towards the longhaired Exorcist Devina had met earlier today. She recalled his name was Kanda. He had refused to greet her back but she didn't take any offence from it, in fact she found it amusing. She still didn't understand why Lavi was repetitively saying 'you', though.

The tall graceful man turned on Lavi swiftly, his sword unsheathed and pointed at Lavi's throat. "Don't ever call me Yuu,"

"But, Yuu-" Lavi protested and Kanda only seemed to press his katana further.

Devina realized this was supposed to be a joke but Kanda was taking it far too seriously. She saw Lenalee and Allen move to stop them, and she debated whether it was her place to intervene or not. "Kanda, is this really necessary?" She asked, approaching the older male.

His sword was inches away from her own throat now, and she gulped and chuckled nervously. "Really, now, you won't kill your own comrades. Put down your sword and go back to your soup and let us all sit down and eat." She raised her arms in surrender.

Kanda glared at her, his eyes narrowed and dark blue and to be frank, frightening. Devina didn't flinch. "Tch," he pulled back his chair and sat down and the group followed suit.

"So who's this 'you' Lavi keeps referring to?"

* * *

Devina learned the hard way that Yuu was actually Kanda's first name, which he didn't like hearing, apparently. After her exceedingly satisfying lunch, Devina was approached by one of the Science Division's members; the short young man with frizzy tied up hair and big round glasses.

"D-devina-san, I was instructed by the Chief to hand you your room keys and to take your measurements to start designing your uniform so I can have it ready for you in a matter of days." The man rambled on.

Devina was stuffed to say the least, yet she couldn't help the guilt eating at her stomach for being unable to recall this angel's name. "Uh-um," she stammered, "of course! Do as you please," she stood up abruptly, extending her arms and giving him the exposure he needed to measure her.

The man's face turned a scarlet shade as he tried his best to keep his eyes to himself. He took out a measuring tape out of his lab coat and started taking her measurements. "What type of uniform would you like?"

Devina thought for a moment before she gave him an answer. "Something that fits me well, keeps me warm and is easy to move in. Oh, my Innocence pours out of my body so that means my suit will probably be shredded often…" she trailed, her voice going down several octaves.

"That's okay, we'll take care of that by creating replicas." The man smiled encouragingly and she wanted to die; the guilt has gnawed its way through her stomach and into her soul.

Devina succumbed, "can you tell me your name again?"

"Johnny. Johnny Gill,"

Devina never forgot Johnny Gill's name ever again.

* * *

Devina's fingers trembled as she inserted the key into the keyhole, turning it to the right. Her heart jumped excitedly as she heard the clang it made and then she turned the doorknob to access her room. She had yet to wrap her head around the concept of having **_her own bloody room_**. Her entire frame shook with excitement as she scanned the empty room.

It was painted in a light purple hue and decorated with a wooden four-poster queen-sized bed to the right, a wooden desk and chair to the left. On the bed's right, there was a maroon settee with a circular coffee table made of glass; on the desk's right, parallel to the wall was a wooden armoire.

Devina's breath was caught in her already aching throat. She was not going to cry. A little sack and a pile of clothes had been left for her on the bed. She made her way to the bed and picked up the light sack of the few possessions she'd brought along. She picked out an old looking book she'd received from Thomas. She traced her fingers over the cover and made her way to the desk and placed it on top of it. She smiled slightly, before walking back to check the pile of clothes. She found a large comfortable looking shirt and took off the now-shredded male shirt she was dressed in before the incident.

A stab of pain shot through her entire being as she recalled that the closest people to her were never going to be a part of this, and she had to force herself to focus on the now. If she grieved, she was lost. A shaky breath escaped her lips as she put on the blue shirt. She headed to the bed and pulled off the sheets before she lay down. A content sigh escaped her lips, as she got more comfortable than she ever had in her entire seventeen years.

* * *

_Author's Note: Happy (late) Birthday Lavi!_

_I think this chapter is more of a filler. I'm still trying to introduce everyone and everything, so this is a light one, but soon enough you'll have more than enough suspense. Don't forget to Follow, Favorite or Review. All three would make my day!_


	4. Chapter 4

Devina's eyes fluttered open to the sound of knocks at the door. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was. Her heartbeats escalated and she pushed herself off the bed, untangling herself from the sheets. She looked around her and tried to gather her thoughts. She was recruited by General Klaud and brought to The Black Order. This was her room now.

Two more knocks broke her out of her reverie and she shot up and walked to the door, opening it.

Lavi greeted her with a lazy smile, "good morning, Devina,"

She moaned, "good morning, Lavi." She yawned and covered her mouth. "How can I help you?"

"I came to pick you up and, uhh, head down to the cafeteria for breakfast before we move to the training area?" he questioned.

Devina was taken aback at his friendliness and she couldn't help but doubt whether or not he was being genuine. "Uhm, sure," she cleared her throat, "I'll take a quick shower and meet you down there?"

"Great, I'll see you downstairs," he waved and Devina went back into her room to grab a towel. She recalled not owning one and ran back to the door to ask Lavi where she could get one, but when she opened the door, she found the hallway empty and Lavi gone. She sighed and went back into her room. She checked the armoire and was pleasantly surprised to find one inside.

She showered in the shared bathroom and headed to the cafeteria, which was alarmingly empty except for a mass of shocking red hair and a few other Finders. She made her way to him and saw him munching on some pancakes. She gulped at the sight of the delicious looking dish and tried not to salivate.

Lavi's head turned up at her approach and he stopped mid-chew. He stared at her, eyes unblinking, taking in her new appearance.

Her hair was no longer matted and greasy but wavy and long and alive in wet waves. Her skin glowed; her face, arms and legs unbandaged, the split at the corner of her lips was less noticeable.

She was dressed in a grey tank top and tight black pants Her dark eyes seemed to pierce into anything they looked at, and at the moment, they seemed to be piercing his only visible eye. He felt a wave of something unfamiliar wash over him, and he realized her eyes were not black but a pool of deep dark chocolate.

_Get it together,_ he had to remind himself. He was the Bookman successor and it was his job to watch her, nothing more. _I still need to win her trust, though._

He gulped down the bite he'd failed to chew with a sip of coffee, "you clean up nicely."

Devina blinked, stared at him, looked down at herself and then back at him, and bit back a smile. "Thank you," she still didn't understand why the redhead was being so nice all of a sudden. "Why's the cafeteria so empty?" she asked, wondering if she'd slept that long.

"Because it's only 5:30 a.m.," Lavi answered meekly.

"What? Why are we up so early?" She asked.

"To get started and report our progress to Komui by the time he wakes up."

Devina nodded absentmindedly, "I'm gonna get me some breakfast. D'you want anything?" She asked curtly and he shook his head no.

The two ate their breakfast in silence before heading to the training hall. It was a large room with mirrors for walls and floors tiled with several red mats to support those who trained in it.

Silently, the two stood face to face. Devina raised her arms and drew them back, bending her knees, readying to attack at any given moment.

Lavi couldn't help the chuckle that coursed through him. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"Aren't we going to train?" She asked back.

He grinned, "Yes, but not like this." Lavi sat down on the mat and Devina mimicked his gesture, plopping down. "That's a good form, where'd you learn that?"

Devina fought an impending blush, "I… I'm a street kid, remember? I had to take care of myself."

Lavi watched her in silence as she fumbled for her words, before nodding once. "Okay, I need you to tell me about your Innocence first."

"Huh?"

The green-eyed Exorcist sighed, "tell me what it looks like? Komui said you're Parasitic but we haven't gotten any details on which part of your body's the Innocence or what you can do…" he trailed, suggestively.

"It's in my bones," Devina answered quietly, "when I… when it's activated, my bones are sort of liquefied and they seep out then solidify into any shape I desire,"

Lavi's eye nearly popped out of its socket, "really? Wow, that's impressive. Okay, now tell me what happens when it's invoked? How you've felt when it's activated?"

Devina thought for a moment. "Well, it always happened when I tried to protect myself or others, so I would say anger and desperation are what trigger it most?"

"Okay, defense mechanism…" he jumped to his feet. "So, I need to make you feel endangered," Lavi said, but it seemed like he was talking to himself rather than the girl before him. "Man, I don't like fighting girls…" he said, scratching the back of his head.

Devina hissed at his comment, but caught on and tried to get on her feet but she was suddenly sent flying away from Lavi, his bare leg having probably left an imprint on her stomach. She landed ungracefully and stood up quickly. She braced herself and ran at him, ready to pounce. With her teeth clenched and her heart hammering, she threw her fist back and swung at him but he ducked out of range, she tried again and again and again but he was evading her easily.

She couldn't underestimate him; he was a member of The Black Order, an Exorcist and Bookman – she had yet to learn what that meant.

She jumped at him again, placing both hands on his shoulders, building momentum, and then raising herself to be on par with him. She pulled up her knee and rammed it into his abdomen and he grunted, bending over. She let him go and backed away, wary of his next attack.

"Okay, okay, I shouldn't underestimate you." He admitted.

Lavi made his way towards her and she raised her arms in a defensive stance, one that he countered by grabbing both of her wrists, and slowly she began to rise from the mat she'd been standing on. Devina tried to control her body mass rather than succumb to him like a limp doll and have her arms dislodged. She continued to rise as he lifted her up to his eye-level; she breathed in and pulled her knees inwards toward her bruised stomach and then faster than anything, she pushed them outwards, swiftly, hitting his chest as hard as she could.

Lavi did not budge.

Devina felt the panic creeping into her blood, the bitterness on her tongue.

"You've got moves," Lavi told her, "but you're made of nothing but skin and bones. You have no muscle power, so it'll take some time and practice before you could push me off." He released her wrists with a gentleness she'd neglected to foresee, with her wrists hurting and beginning to bruise. He noticed her face falling considerably with discouragement, "that did hurt though, because you're very thin – your bones kind of knocked the breath out of me, momentarily, but I still managed not to budge because I've been trained to take it."

Devina didn't appreciate his attempts at consolation and felt herself seething at her apparent loss in this fight, or whatever it was. She didn't like Lavi's stuck-up attitude or how rough he had been with her.

"I noticed how rational you were with the whole Kanda situation, yesterday," he said out of the blue, "had I gone easy on you, you would've thought this was a game, or a sparring match, so I needed to make it seem as believable as possible." Lavi admitted, and the fact that he read Devina so well freaked her out.

"How did you-"

"You look like you really hate my guts right now,"

Devina fought her embarrassment, "I don't. I just don't like your attitude,"

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "Why didn't you attack me, though?"

"Because you could never actually hurt me." She retorted smartly.

"Oh, but I could." Lavi insisted stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest, something Devina thought looked very childish on someone his height.

"I don't think it's in you, but good try; almost believable." Devina smirked, "what now, Lavi? You can fight me until we're both black and blue, I won't buy it."

Lavi sat down on the mat again and thought momentarily. "We can just try and make you concentrate on invoking it; acknowledge your Innocence as a part of you and accept it, try to embrace it, summon it, try to use it to your advantage."

Devina stared at Lavi, reluctance itched on her face yet she had no other choice but to follow his lead. "Alright, how do I go on about summoning my Innocence?"

Lavi propped up one knee and held it against his chest, "okay, first, close your eyes. Now, think of your Innocence, you have this power all stored up inside you and it's just waiting for an outlet," he said. "Don't try and call it for me or Komui or Allen or anyone, do it for you. Do it to show your Innocence that you accept it; that you acknowledge it as part of you and that you're ready," Lavi continued.

"Oh, Lavi, I didn't know you could be so sensitive," Devina mocked.

"Concentrate!" Lavi said, smacking the back of her head.

* * *

Several hours later, Devina panted as white goo oozed from the knuckle on her index finger. An involuntary gasp escaped Lavi, and Devina smiled tiredly as she willed the white liquid to solidify; it hardened into a sharp looking blade.

Devina wanted to try and give Lavi a little payback for playing the rough trainer earlier, so she willed the blade to fly at him, and stop inches away from his forehead.

Lavi's jaw was unhinged as he glanced between her and the blade, back and forth. "You can control them without touching them?" he asked, awestruck.

Devina nodded slightly before letting the blade fall to the ground. With that, her knees buckled and gave beneath her. She moaned, feeling irritated with her body. Lavi was suddenly standing before her, smiling. "Come on, I'll give you a piggyback ride,"

Devina stared at him, dumbstruck, "what?"

"You heard me," he squinted down, his back to her, "come on, climb."

"No, I'll walk. Thank you, though." She insisted.

Lavi turned his head to look at her before he deflected, took hold of her hands and wrapped them around his shoulders. He stood up, lifting her along, her chest meeting his back and legs instinctively wrapping around him. He let go of her hands, which clung to him now, to hold tightly on to her thighs.

Devina's protests did not cease. "Lavi, this is absolutely unnecessary," she grumbled, "put me down this instant." She noticed how sweaty she was, how she was sticking to him, and she felt so sorry for the poor guy. She must've smelled horrible and she wanted to drown. _This is so embarrassing._ "Just put me down."

"Shut up and enjoy the ride," Lavi retorted; laid back and at ease.

Devina didn't say anything back. _Fine, if you like having sweat all over you, help yourself._

* * *

_Author's Note: So here's some Lavi and Devina time to make up for last chapter! Don't forget to Review, Follow and Favorite if you like the story._


	5. Chapter 5

Lavi carried Devina dutifully and silently into the elevator and the two climbed up to the seventh flour.

The Science Division beamed at them as they entered and they provoked greets from everyone; Devina could tell Lavi was really liked around here.

She got a few hellos too, and Johnny told her her outfit was seventy-five percent complete. She smiled and gave him two thumbs up, almost losing her balance and falling off Lavi's back.

Lavi led her through a long dark corridor, one that made her both uneasy and curious. "Where are we headed, Lavi?" She asked, but Lavi stopped in front of a wooden door and knocked.

"Come in,"

Devina traced the familiar voice to the Chief Officer and allowed relief to wash over her. Lavi opened the door and walked them both in before he finally set her on her own two feet next to a purple chaise. She felt heat grace her cheeks at the prospect of being carried for so long by the redhead, but she shrugged off the embarrassment as she sat down and took in her surroundings.

The entire floor was carpeted in sheets and sheets, and more sheets of paper work, and Devina couldn't help the laugh escaping her lips. She spotted the Chief Officer sitting behind an oak desk on a brown chair. The walls of his office were adorned with shelves upon shelves of books. **_Books._**

Devina rose on her feet once again and ran toward the wall closest to her, which was the one on the right. She traced her fingers across volumes upon volumes of History of the Black Order and Angels and Demons and so many more.

The Chief Officer cleared his throat, startling her, to his amusement, before he spoke. "Devina-san,"

Devina turned her back to the books, slowly and reluctantly, "Komui, have you read all these?" She blurted.

Komui was startled. "What? Y-yes, of course, I-" he tried to collect his thoughts, "you can read?" He asked, astonished.

Devina seemed offended, "yes, of course I can read! Just because I lived on the street doesn't mean I can't."

Lavi had remained quiet so far, observing the girl's odd behavior. _Books…_ he thought, _who would've thought she liked books? _He noticed the rising tension in the room and decided to break it instead. "Want me to take you to the library after we're done?" he asked.

"L-library?" she squeaked, the crease in her forehead disappearing completely. "There's a library here?" she asked, absolutely delighted. "Oh, my god, yes! Take me, let's go."

Lavi chuckled, "not now, we need to report our progress to Komui first,"

It was stupefying to watch the strain return to her forehead as her eyes darted back to Komui; Lavi's smile lingered, his interest piqued. She was like a hurricane of contradictory emotions, she kept crashing to and fro and he didn't know when she was going to flood them all with her wrath; him, in particular.

"I apologize if I'd offended you, Devina," Komui started, "it's not often that I chance upon-"

"Street-rats who could read?" she interrupted, "is that it?" Her defensive posture, her poisonous anger and acid tongue; Lavi was fascinated by how openly she was standing up to herself and he couldn't help but admire her courage.

"That's not it," Komui's patience was running thin, "even some people in The Order cannot read, I was just surprised you could."

Devina remained silent, debating whether to let her anger seethe or cool. She walked over to the chaise and sat down again before she spoke again. "Thomas, one of the kids I grew up with… He taught me." She relayed. "Now, shall we get this done with? I wanna check that library."

"Of course," Komui consented, "how did your training go?" he asked.

Devina glanced at Lavi, choosing to remain silent. Lavi sat down to her left, amused at her new-formed dependency toward him. He grinned up at Komui, "she did it. One second, her bones were inside her body and then they were pouring out of her like liquid, before she shaped the liquid into a blade, which she had used to intentionally attack and frighten me." He said, his tone fascinated.

Devina's eyes rolled, "I didn't conjure it up out of thin air, you know. And I didn't attack you, if I had, you'd be dead by now,"

Lavi gulped. The sudden shift in her composure and temper was something Lavi had been anticipating since the moment he'd met her; he didn't know she'd crack too soon, though. He felt kind of sympathetic. Lavi laughed off her comment, "but you didn't, Devina,"

Devina's eyes widened and she turned her head to look at him again. She seemed to be seeing him for the first time and he wondered why she was looking at him like that.

"That's magnificent progress! And you said you couldn't control it," Komui said, addressing her.

"Don't chastise me," Devina crossed her arms over her chest; it was so hard to believe she was the same girl almost flirting with Komui the day before. "I didn't do it on my own. Lavi went through several strategies to get me to invoke the Innocence," she explained, still not very pleased with the Chief Officer.

"I'm not chastising you, I'm simply impressed with your progress." Komui decided to play along, as if dealing with a child. "I see you're still upset about my comment," Komui stood up and walked over to her before he bent down, "I'm terribly sorry."

Heat burned her cheeks and she stood up, helping him stand up straight, "d-don't be ridiculous," she rebuked, "it's an easy conclusion to jump into, don't worry about it." She patted him on the back. "I'm sorry I acted so impulsively."

Komui sighed in relief and allowed Devina to lead him back to his seat.

Meanwhile, Lavi watched on in complete confusion. _What is up with this girl?_ He frowned at the two who were now conversing about what ensued in the training area in good spirits, while his head swam in distortion. He did not get her at all.

"These are excellent results, Lavi," Komui called out, and Lavi's thoughts diminished.

"Thank you, Komui," Lavi forced a smile, "it's all because Devina cooperated very well and she didn't struggle nor reject her Innocence. It's really all thanks to her effort,"

Devina pouted, "Oh, now, don't be so humble," she made her way to him, grabbed his arm and pulled him up to his feet, "it's not really attractive on a young man," she winked. "Come on! You promised me a trip to the library," she turned to Komui, "are we done here, Komui?" The Chief nodded, mumbling a yes, his head buried behind some paper already.

The library was luckily on the same floor and the two didn't have to walk much before they stood in front of a large gate made of dark wood. Lavi pushed it open, set on retaining the silence between them. Devina was too busy trying to stay calm, attempting not to hyperventilate at the prospect of entering a library.

The doors led them into the open wide space of book heaven. Devina was surrounded by storeys of endless shelves and endless books. She spun around and all around her were shelves stacked with books. There were several long wooden ladders raised against some shelves to help gain access to the books too high to reach.

It was incredible. Devina couldn't breathe.

"Lavi," she whispered, tears brimming the corners of her eyes, "thank you."

Lavi was afraid.

Although Devina had her back to him, he still heard her gratitude, and it was more genuine and sincere than anything he'd ever heard; it stirred something in him, and he felt something pinch at his chest. There was an ache in his throat, and suddenly felt trapped. He needed to get out of there. Instead, he managed a shaky, "what are you thanking me for?"

"For bringing me here," she answered, turning around to reveal that she was smiling; her smile was so wide, Lavi's sole eye seemed to go momentarily blind. He felt so puny and she seemed so pure, so bright. "I've always wanted to go to a library," she admitted.

"I'm glad," he whispered, barely audible; his throat was constricting and he didn't know whether she heard him or not.

Devina walked over to him. "Can I give you a hug?"

All Lavi could manage was a nod. Devina wrapped her thin arms around his waist and she pulled herself into him, her face rested against his chest. She could hear his beating heart; steady and controlled.

When he didn't hug her back, Devina retreated and smiled, "thanks again!" she clasped her hands together, "I'm going to explore the place," she turned away from him and started heading off with something to look up in mind.

"Devina," Lavi mumbled.

She wasn't sure she heard him but she turned around, "did you say something?"

Lavi's eye met her chocolate ones and he nodded, "I have to go back to my room, the Old Panda said he'll need me around noon for something,"

"Oh," it lightning fast; how quickly the light dimmed from her eyes, and it did not help with his aching throat, "okay, Lavi. Have a nice day. Thanks again,"

"You're welcome, Devina," she watched as Lavi left her alone in the Black Order's grand library; she began to look up books on Bookmen and after collecting a few volumes, she stacked them up and sat down at one of the desks on the library's lowest floor. She then began to read.

* * *

Devina discovered that Bookmen were very hard to research. There weren't any books written about them and in the few books they were mentioned, she read that they were solely recorders of history. Members of a clan that detach themselves from all social and cultural obligations, a Bookman takes no wife, fathers no children, and does not get affiliated or involved emotionally with anyone whatsoever.

Devina placed down the book she had been reading and stretched; she had lost track of time and had no idea what hour it was. The sound of someone clearing their throat made her jump and she turned to see Johnny, "hey, Johnny, what's up?"

"Komui sent me to tell you you've been here forever. You should have some dinner and head to bed,"

"Dinner?" Devina ran towards Johnny and she gripped his shoulders, "what are you talking about? What time is it?"

"It's almost eight, Devina-san,"

Devina gasped, "Oh, boy, let's get the hell out of here." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him along. "Wanna join me for dinner?" She asked.

"S-sure," Johnny stuttered, blushing slightly.

Devina grilled before halting mid step; she looked around and then glanced at Johnny, "uhhh,"

"Perhaps I should lead the way?" he asked, a moment later. Devina nodded, appreciatively. She still hasn't gotten the hang of where everything was.

"So how'd you know where I was?" Devina asked as they neared the cafeteria.

"Lavi-kun mentioned it before heading to Belgium,"

Devina raised a brow, "what? Lavi headed to Belgium?"

"Yes, he's off on a mission with Bookman, Allen, Lenalee and Krory." Johnny answered and they entered the cafeteria; they made their way toward Jerry, placed their order and sat down together.

"That sounds interesting, going off on missions," Devina said.

"Well, their mission is really difficult this time, so you shouldn't feel envious at all," Johnny joked.

"Oh, really, now? And what's their really difficult mission?" she inquired curiously.

"They have to find General Cross and protect him," he answered. Their food was set before them and the two chimed out their "thanks."

"Who's General Cross?" Devina asked as she began sipping her chicken cream soup.

"He's one of the Order's Generals and Allen's master." Johnny replied, munching on his hamburger.

"What's a General?"

"A General is a person who reaches a sync rate of one-hundred percent with their Innocence," Johnny smiled at her gaping mouth, "pretty impressive, huh?"

Devina nodded vehemently, "yes! Can I meet one?" She dropped her bowl and tackled her Greek salad.

"You've already met one; General Klaud,"

"Oh, she's a General… amazing!" Devina gawked, a dreamy look attaching itself onto her face. She had found herself a new idol. For some reason, though, when she thought of the word idol, a certain redhead's face flashed through her head, and she coughed, unable to swallow.

"Devina-san, drink this," Johnny handed her a glass of water and she took it eagerly.

After calming down, Devina placed the glass down on the table. "So why's finding him difficult?" she asked.

"He's been missing for four years and this is the first clue we've gotten regarding finding him since,"

"Wow, he must be a hard man to track." She said, biting into her cheeseburger. "Mmm, Jerry makes really good cheeseburgers."

"He makes the best food, doesn't he?"

The two conversed happily throughout their dinner, before bidding each other good night.

* * *

Devina's sleep was restless and filled with nightmares. She dreamed of Thomas and Irene, Marcus and Icarus and Juliette and Devon. She re-envisioned the entirety of their deaths, from the moment they were caught till they were shot in the head.

When she woke up, she couldn't remember much but the blood, it was too much. She shot up from the bed and realized she was soaked in sweat. She shrugged out of her tank top before realizing that the thumping she was hearing was not the beating of her heart but the banging on her door. She headed over to it and opened it.

"Geez, woman, put a shirt on, first," Kanda muttered, turning his head to look away.

Devina remembered she didn't have her shirt on and she used it to cover her exposed skin. "How can I help you, Kanda?" She asked, getting to the point, not feeling like standing on the edge of Pleasantville with mister grumpy himself, while feeling like shit, herself.

"Get dressed and meet me at the training hall," he said, still not looking at her.

Devina groaned as she shut the door behind her. She did not feel like training today, not one bit. She wanted to stay in her bed and just wallow in her misery. She did not want to be in the same room with the most obnoxious, ill-tempered Exorcist.

Washed up, dressed and with her hair pulled up in a high pony tail, she entered the training hall and spotted Kanda sitting in the middle of the room on a red mat. Devina walked over to him and stood in front of him. She noticed he was dressed in a dark blue sleeveless shirt and black fitted pants.

"What are we doing today, Kanda?" she asked when he didn't speak nor stand up to begin training her.

"We're meditating until you're not so tense, then I'll train you. I must warn you, you have only four days; after that I'm leaving on a mission."

Devina frowned, "we're doing yoga instead of teaching me how to defend myself? Are you serious?" she asked, ludicrous.

"Yoga strengthens the mind and the spirit," Kanda muttered, before closing his eyes and resuming his mental and spiritual exercise.

"You boys and your poetics," Kanda opened one eye and used it to glare at her.

She raised her arms in surrender and sat down next to him. His legs were both crossed against the opposite thigh. Devina tried to imitate his stance, putting her left feet up against her right thigh and vice versa. Her hands rested on her knees and she closed the space between her thumb and index, while stretching the other three fingers outwards. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

She knew she wasn't doing so well. Her mind kept wandering to the stupid boy with shiny red hair and gleaming green eye and to his other eye, which she couldn't see but really wanted to. She wondered whether he hid an injury behind the eye-patch or a totally damaged eye, or if he only wore it for show. He would absolutely wear it for show.

She wondered how the others were doing as well, searching for this hard-to-find-General; how the frail old Bookman was faring against the cold European weather, how Allen was holding on without Jerry to satiate his big appetite, how kind Lenalee was doing without her brother and how Lavi was acting after… well, the unreciprocated hug.

The smack to the side of her head was so sharp and sudden her ears started ringing. "Hnngh, what the hell, Yuu?"

"What did you just call me?" he asked, his sword missing but his tone just as sharp.

"Uh, uh, Kanda, why did you just hit me?" she asked, not backing down.

"Because you're not meditating, and you just called me by my first name like that baka-usagi,"

"Baka… baka-usagi?" Devina repeated before she exploded into laughter. "Is that Lavi's nickname?"

"Tch, go back to your training, midget." Kanda demanded, ignoring her question.

"Sheesh, fine, fine," she muttered before nudging him in the ribs. As she had expected, the stoic man stiffened and his head turned sharply towards her.

"Do that again and you're dead," she laughed.

* * *

_Author's Note: The fifth instalment! I've been finding myself anticipating Wednesdays to post a new chapter, and I hope some of you do, too. Thanks for all the favs and reviews and follows! Please keep them coming._

_Oh, I never mentioned this, but this story will probably be really long and the romance is a long way off, hehe._


	6. Chapter 6

The following two days consisted of Kanda, failed yoga attempts and death threats. Devina found herself unable to resist the temptation that came with harassing the Japanese swordsman. It didn't help that he reacted just as she'd expect and she found herself unable to blame Lavi for his antics at the cafeteria on the day she had arrived; watching Kanda fuss and lose his temper was becoming her favorite pastime.

On her last day with Kanda, Devina was quite certain they were doing yoga again, thus, she neglected her sleep and stayed up late reading a book about the Akuma. She hadn't come across one yet and she wanted to be as prepared as need be before she was dispatched on a mission.

She yawned as she pushed open the door to the training hall. In mere seconds, Kanda's sword and form were inches from her and she recoiled from him, stepping outside the hall.

"Stepping out means you surrender," he said, seemingly nonchalant yet challenging at the same time.

"You bombarded me while I was unarmed and unaware!" she snapped.

"You're always unarmed and unaware; you must always be aware of your surroundings," he preached.

"I thought we were doing yoga," she admitted as he stepped aside to let her into the training area.

"You and yoga… are a lost cause," he sighed.

She noticed this was the first time she ever conversed with Kanda, or ever heard his voice without him yelling or going berserk, and she was overcome by how melodic he sounded when he spoke; it was nearly enchanting.

"Is that your Innocence?" she asked, nodding towards the sword held firmly between his hands.

"It's called Mugen," he answered, glancing at said sword, "go on, Komui has told me you can activate your Innocence now. You'll need it to fight me back,"

"But- but, I can't… I was only able to muster a little blade after a lot of concentration," she confessed, feeling feeble.

"I know, which is why I had you do yoga in the first place, to broaden your mind. But you have one as thick as that baka-usagi, so this will have to do. Hurry up, I don't have all day,"

Devina could feel her heart thrashing against her ribcage, like a bird flapping its wings against a cage. She felt trapped and scared. Kanda wasn't Lavi; Kanda wasn't joking.

She summed up her strength and let it course through her nerves, pouring out. Sharp white thin blades flew out towards Kanda and he activated Mugen hurriedly, using the attack Kaichu Ichigen; a swarm of strange creatures devoured her blades and both disappeared.

Devina panted but realized this was not even a warm up for him. She needed something that would keep her on a par with his Mugen. She searched within her for the surging energy again and focused it on her right hand only.

Kanda watched as her bones dissipated inside her and flowed through her knuckles, only to formulate and harden. Once outside of her, the white substance reunited and came together to shape a blade that was at least twice as large as Mugen, sharp and creamy in color.

Devina held it in both hands shakily, not used to the weight of it. Kanda was her senior and he was a lot stronger than her. He was pounding Mugen at her blade and she was barely keeping up, managing to have her blade cover for her with its size.

"How annoying," Kanda complained, "use your upper arms, woman. Use them to hold up your weapon," he advised.

Devina did as she was told, using her upper arms to hold her weapon, shoving her blade against his. She heard him grunt in response and felt triumphant. She gave another shove, dropping her weapon voluntarily and back-flipped, forming smaller blades and shooting them in midair at a distracted Kanda.

"Shit," he cussed, "Kaichu Ichigen," and he deflected her blades again.

Devina groaned in frustration. She charged at him, picking up her discarded large blade. The two clashed and their blades kissed. Devina felt her heart jump and adrenaline coursed through her, nearly blinding her. She gave in, smack after smack, cornering him as a maniacal smile deformed her face.

Kanda's knee collided with her stomach and she bent over, coughing. "What the hell is your deal?" he demanded, before walking out of the training hall and leaving her completely alone.

* * *

Devina lay in bed, encompassed by shame and confusion. She didn't understand what happened down in the training area with Kanda; she didn't know what it was that came over her and she could barely remember losing control.

Her stomach still hurt from his attack, and Lavi's before him, but it didn't come close to how awful she felt at the moment. She had chased after Kanda when she came to, but it took her too long to get back to her senses and when she'd started looking for him, he had already left on his mission. She had wanted to apologize for endangering his life, for… for nearly… killing him.

Devina's sleep was restless yet again and she awoke from a nightmare, sweating and starving. She grabbed her towel and headed into the shared bathroom and took a cold shower to freshen up. She then headed down to the cafeteria, only to find it closed. She wondered how early it was and whether she could ask Komui or Johnny to lend her a watch. She decided to head to the Science Division and figure her way into the library from there.

When she finally made it to the seventh floor and into the Science Division, she was surprised to see many familiar faces awake.

"Good morning, Devina," Tapp greeted, smiling gently.

Tapp is a slightly large, dark skinned man; He wore a trademark lime-green hat that covered his eyes and had a hole at the top, revealing his tuft of brown hair.

"Tapp, good morning!" she smiled, "Good morning everyone. How come you're all awake?" she asked.

"Haven't slept yet, we're so doomed because Chief Komui is a lazy bum," Reever complained, scanning a sheet of paper on one hand and sipping coffee from a mug in the other.

Reever Wenham is a twenty-seven year old with spiky sandy blonde hair and baby blue eyes; he has a bit of dirty blonde stubble on his chin and is often dressed in a white lab coat over a dress shirt, a tie and a blazer on top with dress pants. He compliments his outfit with two silver bracelets on each wrist.

Devina giggled, "Ahh, I see, that totally fits our Chief Officer," she nodded, "what time is it now?"

"It's ten past four," Johnny answered, stifling a yawn, "why are you up so early, Devina-san?"

"Ahh, I don't know. I got kinda hungry, I guess," she smiled, awkwardly.

"Oh, the cafeteria opens in an hour but help yourself to some coffee and cookies over there." Johnny pointed toward a desk behind Tapp and Reever before beginning his own search for a book among a stack lined on the floor.

Devina dashed toward him and kissed him on the cheek before she headed to the coffee and cookies. Johnny's fingers lifted to trace his cheek, running over the spot where her lips had just been seconds ago. He realized his jaw was hanging open and he forced his mouth to close, gulping nervously, as his cheeks burned with heat.

Devina, on the other side of the room, shoveled one cookie after the other, gulping them down with sips of stale coffee, totally unaware of the young man's predicament.

By five am, she went downstairs and had some cereals and waffles, and then some speakers announced that Komui was expecting her, so she made her way back to the Science Division and turned toward his office. _He's probably going to kick me out. He's kicking me out of here. Oh, god._ She was sure her guilt would soon swallow her whole.

She knocked and he gave her permission to enter.

"Komui-san," she stood near the door, unable to step forward any further.

"Come in, Devina-san. Have a seat, please,"

_Oh, god. Oh god, oh god oh god oh god. _She walked toward the purple chaise and sat down stiffly, "Komui, I'm sorr-"

"Kanda reported everything that had transpired during your training session. We had expected a similar result," Komui explained.

"But I… but I almost… I almost killed him," she kept her gaze glued to her palms, wishing she could set them on fire.

"Kanda is stronger than you think, so don't beat yourself up too much. What happened must not happen again, however, Devina-san," He concluded, "I've thought of a new plan of action for you."

Devina bit her lip in anticipation, "what is it?" _Here it comes._

"I'm sending you to General Klaud, the woman who brought you here. Since all the other Exorcists are on missions, there's no one to train you here and Klaud is more capable as the General who recruited you, so I'm sending you to her. What do you think?"

Devina sighed with relief. _He's not expelling me. He's not expelling me._ "Yes, whatever you see fit, Komui."

"Perfect." Komui smiled a tight smile. "I've arranged a Finder to accompany you to Bulgaria where you'll find Klaud waiting for you," he explained. "Can I trust you to keep your Innocence in check, Devina-san?"

Devina gulped before she nodded, "yes, yes. I won't… I won't hurt anyone."

* * *

Four weeks in Bulgaria had gone by, and Devina felt more confident and levelheaded when it came to her Innocence than she had when she entered the Order. She still harbored doubts about her self-control, but Klaud had been able to stop her from losing her control over her Innocence every single time she nearly toppled over the edge.

Klaud can really be described in one single word, which is awesome. Devina really, really liked Klaud and appreciated gaining such a respectable strong individual and woman as her Master and mentor. She was both strong and capable as a General and a human being. Her relationship with her Innocence, Lau Jimin was the most aspiring and Devina loved watching the General interact with the little monkey who was always at her shoulder.

Their brief time together however had to come to a halt when Komui called with a couple of bad news. One involved Klaud's unit members and their mysterious perish which required Klaud's immediate return to the Order. The other involved the group of Exorcists looking for General Cross, struggling to complete their mission; Komui had requested that Devina'd better join them as soon as possible, if she thought she were ready. Due to the urgency with which he spoke, she said she was. And she was not.

Klaud and Devina headed to the train station together, and Devina embraced the older blonde woman, not letting her eyes linger too long on the X-shaped scar across her face.

"Remember, when you're out of control, there's a little part of you that is slightly conscious and aware. That part can stop your Innocence from completely taking over. Whenever the Innocence goes wild, bring forward this conscious part of yours and you will be okay, Devina," she ruffled Devina's hair and Devina leaned into her touch.

"Thanks, Klaud. I'll see you?" she asked hesitantly.

"See you, kid," the General smiled.

* * *

Devina was most definitely lost. She held the map closely to her face, squinting carefully at the brothel she had marked upon it but as she scanned her surroundings, she couldn't spot her friends or any of the Finders. Komui had mentioned that someone was definitely going to meet her by the time she arrived.

Devina had been waiting in the area until nightfall, and she managed to try out a few nearby Chinese restaurants before she sat down on a barrel outside the brothel, legs and arms crossed. She was growing tired and impatient when she heard familiar voices.

"So, that man said the owner of this brothel is General Cross's girlfriend?" Lenalee asked.

"Really, now," Devina complained, standing up and walking over to them, "I've been waiting here for ages and you just get here and don't even acknowledge me and-"

"Devina!" they all shouted but for one tall pale Exorcist with spiky black hair that has a lone white streak from the front. He has long pointed elf ears, dark eyes and sharp looking teeth. She assumed he was Krory, since he's on the list of Exorcists on this mission.

"You're wearing your uniform!" Lenalee pointed out, gushing excitedly turning everyone's attention to the black sleeveless jumpsuit that now fit every fiber of Devina's body. It was lined up with white from the sides and twice across the chest and each foot, with the Order's crest adorning her left breast. A little black and white jacket with the same design was tied around her waist. She was consciously aware of Lavi's gaze; it was sending chills down her spine. He did not seem happy to see her.

Lavi did not know she was coming. Lavi did not know she was arriving today and he was not ready to see her looking so vibrant and healthier than the last time he saw her.

When their gaze met, he had to look away or he would've embarrassed himself with one of his infamous 'Strike' moments. The suit Johnny had designed hugged her body in all the right places, and he felt his face reddening, _and this is Devina for goodness sake; she will also be excluded from the pages of history. _Johnny was really aiming to kill him.

For an entire month now, he had not been able to get that hug out of his head, and he wanted to, he really, really wanted to. He wanted to shrug it off as the simple thing it was: a silly orphaned girl showing him gratitude for having given her something, because she had probably received so little in her life, and then that made his chest ache and it all made his skin crawl and the idea of wanting her to wrap her arms around him again made him want to smack his head against the brothel wall.

_Just play it cool,_ he told himself, _do not think of her like that. You don't want her to touch you and you don't want to be near her either, Lavi._

He inhaled, before his attention was forcibly turned towards a giant of a man – or a woman; bald, grey eyed and dressed in a red and gold cheongsam. "Kids and first-timers are not allowed in here. Get the hell out of my sight." S/he bellowed.

"Are you a man?" Devina squeaked.

Lavi couldn't help himself, "she's obviously a woman. Can't you see her breasts?"

"Ooof, of course, Lavi. That's all you see, isn't it?" she retorted.

"Well, yes, if they're all out there in my face, then, yes." He yelled.

"You pervert, stop looking at women's chests and stop yelling at my face," she shouted.

"You stop first," he stomped his foot.

"Guys," Allen broke their bickering, "you wanna… maybe, you wanna come in?" he asked pointing towards the back door.

The group was led into an elaborate room; lanterns hung from the walls, which were painted a grass green color, the floors a dark purple. Two curtains revealed a beautiful woman sitting on the floor, waiting. She had short hair, except for the long streak hanging behind her back and a fringe decorating her forehead, her black eyes were painted with blue eyeliner and her lips were stained red. She wore an interesting Chinese robe-like floral dress of black and pink and purple, with a hat of matching colors.

"Welcome to our humble brothel, honorary Exorcists. I am Anita, the owner." She greeted, and Devina felt enchanted. She heard Lenalee mumble, "she's pretty," and Lavi yell out, "Strike!" but before she could slap him across the mouth, Anita continued, "Unfortunately, Cross-sama is no longer here. He sailed on a ship and that ship was destroyed at sea," she spoke quietly and calmly, but Devina could see the storms raging behind her dark eyes.

"What did you say?" Lenalee asked. "Can you please repeat that?"

Anita obliged patiently, "I said, eight days ago, the ship carrying Cross-sama was destroyed at sea."

Devina felt dubious. Was Anita being honest or was she trying to fool them? From what Johnny had told her, Cross was really smooth and lithe and quite fond of hiding. A person like that would probably not be killed so easily.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Bookman asked, "how can you be sure? Were there any witnesses?"

"A passing ship received their distress signal and went to help but all they found was dark aura and endless poison, no ship and no passengers." Anita explained.

"I don't believe that would've been enough to kill my Master; where was he headed when he boarded that ship?" Allen questioned.

The silence stretched but Anita broke it by standing up, staring unblinkingly at Allen; a tear finally fell down her cheek. "Do you really believe that?" she asked, lips trembling; Allen did not waver. "Very well. Mahoja, prepare my ship. If you'd like to find Cross-sama, we'll take you to him; his destination had been Japan, specifically Edo."

"Thank you, Anita-san," Lenalee replied, being the most socially capable. "Well, we should go look up a place to crash for the night."

"Yeah, I'd really like to sleep right now." Devina admitted, stretching.

"What are you all rambling about? You're all welcome to stay here until we sail in the morning," Anita declared with such finality that no one dared to object. "Mahoja, show them to my guest room, please."

The group followed Mahoja along a narrow hallway, less lit than the room they just exited and Devina fell behind. She wanted to be able to talk to the last one in line, Krory. She felt the need to introduce herself and make a new friend.

"Krory," she called, catching up to him. He turned around and looked at her worriedly, "don't be afraid, I just wanted to introduce myself and, you know… say hi, or something, since we never officially met." She babbled, "I'm Devina."

"I know who you are," Krory said, and she wanted to dig a hole into the earth and then bury herself in it. "I'm Arystar Krory; it's nice to finally meet you." He seemed to have a light blush permanently etched upon his cheeks.

"Nice to meet you too," Devina extended a hand to him and he shook it.

"Oi, Kuro-chan, come check out these futons," Lavi's head seemed to literally pop out of nowhere, and it nearly gave Devina a heart attack. She retracted her arm from Krory, letting it hang limply, before he left her in the doorway. She stood there for a few seconds, contemplating whether she should confront the redhead or not, then she shook her head indignantly and entered the room.

Inside, six futons were laid down asymmetrically, two for the girls on the right and the four belonging to the boys to the left. Lenalee took the one closest to the window and Devina was left to take the empty one. She dropped down onto the futon, confused, aching and exhausted. She was out like a light.

* * *

_Author's Note: ...not much to say about this chapter, haha, but please hit me with some comments and feedback. I'm demotivated and I'd like to read what you guys think so far. Action-packed chapters are coming up, yus!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: So, the Edo Ark begins! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and followed. Please keep the feedback coming!**

* * *

_She scrambled off the floor and away from the warmth, met with so much cold. She was no longer wearing her uniform, but her tattered dress shirt. She hugged it around her and started walking around the streets of London, in search of something familiar._

_This did seem familiar, like it had happened before, like déjà vu._

_She heard the gunshot. She heard the screams and gasps, and then another shot, and another. She ran forward and unlatched the door to a basement, pushing it open and running down the stairs. There was nothing but dust on the floor and a group of older men who turned to stare at her. "This is so you'd learn not to steal from us again, little girl,"_

_"__Where are they?" she squeaked; she felt like a mouse. "Where are my- what have you done to them?"_

_"__They're all dead, shot through the head." One man answered._

_"__But- but, why?" she asked. "Because they stole a few pieces of bread?" she demanded, her voice rising slightly, "are you out of your mind?" she finally shouted._

_"__Not entirely so," another replied, "we wanted to see how you'd react."_

_Devina shook her head because this made no sense, it made no sense, it made no sense and she wanted to kill, she wanted to murder and destroy and snap. So she screamed. She screamed so loud, her bones seeping away from every pore in her body._

_Before she could direct them at those vicious strangers, before she could attack, the dust recollected, washing over her like a wave, her friends alive once again. It was like a rewind of what had occurred. One minute, they were the ashes on the ground, and then they had limbs and pounding hearts._

_"__Don't do this, Devi," Thomas begged, blonde and green eyed and angelic, holding back her left arm._

_"__But they-"_

_"__Don't do it, you're better than this." Irene's violet eyes bore into her dark ones and Devina felt her knees give as Irene hooked them to the ground._

_"__You promised not to hurt anyone anymore, Devi," young Icarus whispered, and she felt his arms snake around her waist from behind._

_"__But they killed you!" Devina shrieked. "They murdered you in cold blood, for no reason at all, they killed you!"_

_"__It had to happen," Devon smiled, but it wasn't his gentle, squinted brown-eyed smile; it was twisted and somewhat malicious and something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong._

_"__Let go of me," Devina tried to move, to break free, but she couldn't. She was completely held in place and she realized the people who shot her friends earlier were now aiming several guns at her._

_"__Now, it's your turn, Devina," the men's faces twisted and it was suddenly Lavi and Kanda and Komui and Klaud and Allen and she was crying. She wanted this to end._

_"__Why are you doing this? Let go," she struggled against the tight hold of her friends, but it was unbreakable._

_"__Don't you want to see us again, Devi?" tears rolled down Juliette's golden eyes, "don't you miss us?"_

_"__I do, I do, I do, I do, I do," Devina repeated, "I do, but they're going to kill me, and you're letting them, and this is wrong,"_

_"__You don't miss us at all," Thomas dropped Devina's hand jerkily and she stumbled forward, "you have new friends now, don't you? You don't even spare a second to think of us,"_

_Devina couldn't deny it because she did not dwell on her friends, she did not try to remember them or let them live on in her memory because the ache, the ache, the ache would be too much and too open and too wide, and she would dissipate into nothing._

_She shut her eyes, "I'm sorry," and then she opened them._

She was greeted by five worried Exorcists and a towering Mahoja. She gasped, and sat up, but realized that only inched her closer to the worried faces and then she shielded herself behind her sheet. "What's going on?" she croaked and realized she could barely speak.

"You- you were screaming, in your sleep, and… saying things," Allen was the first to say something and she was drowning in embarrassment.

"Ahh, it's nothing. Just a silly nightmare," she mumbled, still obscured by the sheet she'd thrown over herself.

"Devina, take off the sheet, it's ridiculous," Lenalee scolded, and it was the first time she'd addressed her so informally and Devina was certain her face was on fire.

"Give me a minute," she breathed in deeply, then exhaled, trying to calm herself. "G'morning," she greeted, faking a smile after she revealed herself.

Lenalee sat down on her futon and took hold of her hand, Devina wanted to pull her hand back because she was just dreaming of her friends crippling her and she didn't want to be touched. She didn't want to feel anyone's skin against hers – but she stayed still. It was just a nightmare.

"Are you okay?" Lenalee asked, concern wrinkling her forehead, somewhat cutely.

Devina chuckled nervously, "of course, I'm okay, yes." She didn't want to look at Lavi… gun-pointing Lavi. "Don't we have to sail today, or something?" she joked, "sorry I woke you guys so early," she was babbling nonstop and it was making everyone more nervous and everything more awkward.

"I was already on my way to wake you, when I heard… the screams," Mahoja informed, which therefore explained her presence in the room.

"Ahh, well, we've wasted enough time. We have a ship to catch," Bookman said, finally, moving away from Devina's bed and the crowd began to disperse. Devina never felt more grateful towards the Old Panda.

* * *

At the dock, Lavi and Krory stood side by side, almost moping from the little sleep they managed to get; the redhead glanced behind him to see Allen carrying a box into the ship. He swore he just saw Devina right behind him when he saw a figure struggling with two boxes that were veiling their face from him. He sighed and went over to her, gripping the upper box and picking it up off her.

"Thank y-" she stopped when she realized it was Lavi and decided not to. "I was managing just fine on my own,"

"Yes, it was very visible to me how well you were managing," he retorted, and the two climbed aboard the ship and set the boxes down.

Devina huffed, growing extremely tired of arguing with him. She nodded her head, "okay, Lavi, thanks for giving me a hand."

"See? A little gratitude won't kill ya," Lavi pointed, grinning as he scratched the back of his head.

"Nope, not at all, won't kill me one bit, no, sir." She approached him, leaning closer. "Would you like another grateful hug, Lavi?"

Lavi gulped, his face burning. He hadn't realized he was being so obvious and he hadn't realized she had read him so well. He felt so bare and naked and exposed and he wanted to shatter the smug look on her face.

"Ya kiddin' me? Nothing would please me more," Lavi grinned, nothing too earnest, a grin that didn't really reach his eye. Devina saw through it and she felt dirty for playing these games, but she wanted to break him and she wanted him to get over himself.

She leaned closer and wrapped her arms around him but this time it was not one-sided; this time, Lavi's arms wound around her in return and she crumbled because he felt so good. He felt so soft and comfortable and warm. She was being squished into his hard chest and she loved it.

He smelt like grass and musk and something… something so entirely him. And she had to pull away, she had to pull away because a second too long and this would turn into something else and he was Lavi and they were Exorcists; they were friends, and she was out of control and he's probably a heartless Bookman who's in love with Lenalee. So, she did. She dropped her arms and he followed suite and they drew back.

Lavi's mouth opened but Devina yelled, "I'll go check on Lenalee!"

Lavi's mouth remained slightly open, staring after her refusing to look at him, running as far away from him as her short legs allowed her. He could feel his hands shaking, his heart rattling and his throat dry, so dry.

"Is Devina okay?" Allen's question broke him out of his reverie.

"I hope so," Lavi answered, not meeting Allen's worried gaze.

The crew and Exorcists all finally boarded the ship, Lenalee and Devina making it last. "I can't believe that you knew he was asleep," Devina shook her head at Lenalee. "Are you psychic or something, Lenalee? Unbelievable, did you know she could guess when Komui's asleep and when he isn't?" she directed her gaze towards Allen.

The young lady Exorcist giggled, "you know, Reever said the same thing."

"Oh, I miss the Science Division boys so much." Devina admitted, leaning her arms on the ship's railing, her face in her hands.

"I know," Lenalee agreed.

"You do realize we are right here?" Lavi asked, feigning hurt. Lenalee looked at him, confused, while Devina didn't even turn around to face his direction.

"What are you talking about Lavi?" Lenalee asked.

"Well, you're missing those you can't see instead of hanging out with us, the awesome boys you have here with you."

Lenalee giggled, and Devina rolled her eyes at her friend's oblivious act.

Was she really so unaware of how Lavi felt about her? How he ogled her and was so overly protective of her? Has she really not noticed how she's been encouraging his affections by being all adorable and kind and just perfect?

Devina watched the two interact and she fought a lump that kept forming in her throat no matter how many times she swallowed. She cleared her throat, "I'm going to get some sleep,"

A sense of foreboding fell over the group as they looked from each other to Devina. She smiled, "I'll be fine," she realized they were afraid she'd have a nightmare again and they were worried. It was sweet, really, but she was tired of thinking of every single detail and sparing everyone's feelings.

She headed to Anita and asked her whether she had to share a room with someone, but Anita told her that each Exorcist had a cabin, and hers was bellow deck, five doors to the right from the entrance.

Devina headed to her cabin, unlocked the door and plopped on the bed, placing her arms behind her head. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

She did not leave her room for a little while, and to pass the time, she pulled out the fairytale book she had gotten from Thomas. She held it in her arms for a while and stared at it in silence. The cover was completely wiped off; the letters receded from old age.

She didn't realize tears were falling down her eyes until her lips quivered and she gasped for air. She lifted a hand to wipe at her eyes furiously, "I do miss you," she mumbled, "stupid, stupid, stupid idiots. And that stupid dream," she whimpered, "what the hell was that all about?" She bit her lower lip to stop from wailing. She shook her head several times as if to shake off her thoughts.

She realized her nightmare didn't have everything to do with her crying either. She hated seeing Lenalee and Lavi together. She hated feeling this way and not being able to explain it. She also wanted to know why she couldn't tolerate two of her favorite people at the Order, hanging out together. She wanted to know why she felt like she was set on fire every time Lavi joked or attempted to flirt with Lenalee. It was probably because Lenalee did not reciprocate his feelings and seemed to be disregarding them without realizing it. Yes, that was mostly it. Lavi was her friend, too, and she didn't like seeing him hurt. Of course, that was it. Absolutely!

Devina registered that everyone was probably busy working and she was here moping and rolling in self-pity, so she decided to head on deck and help, rather than stay here. She could read later, before she went to sleep.

She climbed back on deck and found her friends surrounding Allen while Lenalee held onto his brown cursed arm. "Allen-kun, let me see your left arm for a moment," she pulled back the sleeves of his uniform and the group jolted at the sight; his left arm, as if sizzled, had chunks missing out of it. Little pieces of flesh floated around the arm, detached from his arm, yet not disappearing completely nor falling off.

"Oh, Allen," Devina whispered and they jumped, only seeming to notice her then.

Allen's face paled and he smiled nervously, retracting his arm, "ehh, it's really nothing to worry about. It's probably because we've been fighting so many Akuma lately and my Innocence has grown a bit tired,"

"I have never heard of an Innocence getting tired of battling Akuma before," Lavi challenged, unconvinced.

"Maybe because I'm Parasitic!" Devina caught on then to what Allen was doing. He was doing what she did best, trying to divert their worries and questions away, trying to make them disappear. It was an unpleasant feeling, but Devina held her tongue because she understood Allen's situation.

"Aren't you just making this up as you go?" Lavi asked.

Bookman interjected, "it's true, you have been fighting twice as much as the rest of us since your left eye has healed."

Devina followed the flow of the conversation but felt the need to interrupt, "what's wrong with Allen's eye?" she asked but no one seemed to hear her except for Krory, who replied in a whisper, "he can see the souls of the Akuma's contractor, the person who had been brought back to live in the Akuma's shell."

Devina nodded, understanding, "that's both fascinating and horrifying,"

She then heard Lenalee say, "Allen, your left arm is actually really fragile, isn't it?" Lenalee's head dropped and Devina could see her lips shake as she fought her tears.

"You made Lenalee cry, Allen," Lavi accused and Devina wanted to smack him across the face. Allen flinched at Lavi's comment, who hasn't made the situation any better by pointing out Lenalee was crying.

Devina wanted to give her a hug but she hesitated then jumped as the ship's whistle sounded and smoke rose from its funnel.

The brawny blonde captain yelled at the crew to set sail, and the ship bustled with life; its white sails flung, cascading with the wind. The crew withdrew the anchor and the ship was moving, its wheels steered by the gracious Anita.

Allen left the group afterward and headed to climb up the mast into the crow's nest, while Lavi, Bookman and Krory gave Lenalee a bit of space. Devina stared at the girl who became an Exorcist too soon. She approached her carefully.

"Lenalee, what's wrong?" Devina asked.

Lenalee was startled, and she turned to Devina. "I don't know what to do about Allen-kun, Devina. He acts so tough… but he's suffering a lot more than he lets on." Lenalee blurted, as if the words have been hanging at the tip of her tongue and Devina's question allowed them the release they'd longed for. "I keep having these dreams, I keep having these dreams where everyone I love is dead and then Allen-kun, he-" and she doesn't finish because Devina embraced her. Lenalee sobbed as Devina's wrapped around her tightly. She told her that dreams were often only dreams, that her dream was only a figment of her imagination and that it probably meant nothing because she was living proof of that.

The two were distracted when Allen shouted something from the crow's nest, but they couldn't hear. Lavi asked him what he was saying, and so, Allen climbed down from the crow's nest to the mast to shout, "The Akuma are coming!"


	8. Chapter 8

There was no need for Allen to shout because Devina and everyone else saw the alarmingly endless swarm of ugly mechanical creatures approaching. Devina felt Lenalee turn in her arms and gasp at the sight.

"I take it they don't travel in herds," Devina joked.

"Why are there so many of them?" she heard Anita shout and Mahoja ordered the crew to arm themselves and be prepared for battle.

The swarm of black was indeed advancing fast and Devina tried to squint to pinpoint a single Akuma and determine their shape, but they all seemed to have various appearances and sizes and faces and weapons. Devina felt absolutely repulsed because they were ugly and devious and they looked like weapons; some held guns while others had built-in guns and most wore maniacal, mad smiles and had sharp teeth that usually wound up around a human's neck.

She had had a few conversations with Klaud before about the types of Akuma, and from the wild appearances of this lot, she guessed they were most probably Level Two.

"The timing of their attack can only mean one thing," Bookman mused.

"They're trying to slow us down." Lavi finished for him. He noticed Krory's shaking form, "What's the matter, Kuro-chan?"

"My teeth; they're aching to bite." Krory answered and activated his Innocence, and Devina made the wild guess that it had to do with his aching teeth. His face had changed in appearance; it became twisted and his teeth grew longer and sharper, like an animal's.

The rest of her friends activated their Innocence too, and it was her first time seeing Lenalee's Dark Boots, Lavi's Iron Hammer, Bookman's Heaven Compass, Allen's Cross Grave and Krory's Teeth in action. It would also be her first time showing them how much she'd improved after her training with General Klaud. She activated her Grim Reaper, which Klaud had helped her name and she generated a dozen creamy arrows from her liquefied bones.

Her companions looked at her with a mix of shock and pride but they said nothing. Instead, each launched in to attack.

But the Akuma weren't stopping; they were passing through, not bothering with their ship at all. Chaos was all around them.

"What is this?" Allen asked.

"What are they doing? Why aren't they attacking us?" Lavi was struggling to keep himself from keeling over. The Akuma's passage had conjured up strong wind, and they were all nearly whisked off their feet.

"Where are they going?" Krory asked, his eyes following the direction the Akuma were heading.

"I don't think it matters where they go, I think what matters is that we should not let them get to where they're going." Devina muttered, darkly; she had a horrible feeling about this. Klaud had told her how bloodthirsty and nasty the Akuma are, and them flying past a ship full of humans was just so surreptitiously erroneous.

"I think Devina's absolutely right," Allen said, and beams of light shot out of his left arm, which was now shaped like a big white gun.

Devina directed her arrows toward several Akuma bypassing the ship and they all landed. "Perfect hit! Akuma kill count: twelve," she jumped in the air triumphantly before she shaped more arrows and had them chasing some more Akuma; the arrows were more useful under these circumstances, since the Akuma were not stopping, the distance between her and them wide, thus, a sword would lessen her chances of landing a hit.

"Is this the first time you've killed an Akuma, Devina?" Lavi's question startled her, and the fact that it was Lavi asking her had set her cheeks aflame by the scorching heat she caught in his emerald eye. She felt her stomach ripple, waves crashing against the inside of her belly and she didn't understand it. She didn't understand it at all.

"Yes," she looked to her feet, and her arrows were falling. He was making her lose her focus and she was burning red, burning hot. She formed more arrows than she could muster and she sent them flying. She then sent some more, attacking nonstop, trying not to meet his gaze.

Lavi didn't gesticulate the enormity of the situation until the question had left his lips. The girl had never faced an Akuma before and she was standing there, battling on par with him and the others. She wasn't flinching or cowering in fear, she wasn't screaming or running away and she'd killed twelve Akuma all at once. Her little yes had changed everything. She was courageous and brave and a little insane, maybe, but Lavi couldn't help how impressed he was with her, how she was kicking more ass than he was, so he felt like raising the stakes a little higher.

"That's amazing, Devina," he stood, leaning against her so that they were standing back to back. "Let's see who kills more Akuma,"

But the Akuma were stopping, two had noticed Allen and Lavi, A third tried attacking Anita but it was kicked by Mahoja. The humans used barriers of light which kept the Akuma from coming near them, guarding them for as long as possible. Lenalee flew around using her boots-generated speed, launching kicks left and right while Bookman's needles were fending off whatever Lenalee couldn't finish.

Lavi extended his hammer, landing it on the Akuma in front of him and then the one behind Devina before she could do anything about it. "This isn't how you win a challenge, Devina,"

Devina was too distracted to roll her eyes at him, she noticed Allen was struggling with the Akuma he was fighting. Allen's weapon worked for the long distance between him and the Akuma he was facing but the Akuma was a flying bee-shaped Akuma, with a face that seemed likely to shoot at Allen at any minute. Next to it was another annoying flying Akuma, and Allen was getting overworked.

"Gouka Kaijin: Hi Ban," Lavi shouted, slamming his hammer into the ship, making Devina jump. A swarm of fire surrounded the ship and it burnt the Akuma. Many managed to fly out of its range. Devina noticed that the pillar of fire had a head shaped like a dragon's.

"Whoa, that was kind of awesome," Devina exclaimed.

"I'm in it to win it, baby," She rolled her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to repeat the word baby in her head.

She heard Allen yelp and she looked up to see him caught between the Akuma's legs.

"Allen!" she and Lenalee called simultaneously. Allen was being led in the same direction the Akuma had headed.

"Lenalee," Lavi commanded, "go and take care of Allen, we'll handle things here,"

"But-"

"You're the only one who can follow him with your Dark Boots," Bookman explained.

"Go, Lenalee, Allen-sama needs you. He's fighting all alone right now," Anita told her, "we'll be alright here."

"I'll come, too," Devina interjected, "you can carry me, Lenalee,"

"That's not too wise, Devina," Lavi shook his head, "when Lenalee gets to Allen she'll have to carry him, too; she can't carry you both."

"But Allen… He's not okay, he's been-"

"Go, Lenalee," Lavi ordered, taking charge; Lenalee gave Devina a remorseful look. Devina gave back a faint smile before Lenalee took off. Devina began on her quest of creating more arrows and sending them flying in every Akuma's direction. Devina couldn't help keep her gaze from following Lenalee until she disappeared into the distance. Her two friends were now headed toward the Akuma's nest and she felt so uneasy.

Devina strung her arrows through invisible bows and struck at the Akuma. Krory used his teeth to bite them, jumping from one to the next, contaminating them by a sort of poisonous bit. Bookman sent his needles flying in each and every direction, attacking and defending, while Lavi extended and expanded his hammer, swatting the Akuma in his path.

They were at it for quite some time, and Devina kept losing count of the number of Akuma she's destroyed. Whenever that would happen she'd glance at Lavi and he'd yell her count number at her, which would make her laugh.

Devina pushed Bookman out of some bullets' way and they hit her instead.

"Lady Devina, what have you done?" Bookman asked, guilt ridden.

"Don't worry, they don't hurt me," she smiled at him.

"But these have Akuma poison-" Bookman stopped talking to shied his eyes seeing as Devina was about to unzip her uniform. "What are you doing?"

"Look," she told him, bending her left hand backward to aim it at an Akuma and send an arrow to finish it while her right hand continued to unzip her suit. Bookman could see what she was showing him. The bullet holes did not go through her skin but instead they were lodged inside a barrier that was creamy in color. He could only guess it was also made from her bones.

"Incredible,"

"Isn't it-" but she didn't have the time to tell him Klaud had thought it up. She'd never realized it but her body had been doing it every time she was in danger. She couldn't spare it another thought, because there was a fire, a huge raging fire that looked so deadly. It seemed to have something to do with the swarm of Akuma that whisked Allen off. Devina didn't know what she was doing but she jumped off the ship.

"Devina, you idiot," Lavi yelled after her and extended his Iron Hammer but he realized she didn't need it. Devina was walking on water, or so it would appear, but in truth, she'd created a plank of bones and it carried her but it was whizzing and she couldn't quite control it yet.

"Lavi," she began as she levitated up to meet him, "I have to go, something bad-"

"Go," he nodded once.

She leaned forward and extended her right arm, but the plank shifted beneath her and her hand ended on his left shoulder but she focused and steadied herself. "Take care of everyone," he gave another nod, "and don't do something stupid,"

"Same to you,"

And she was off. She felt silly for saying anything because she shouldn't have. She should focus on Allen and Lenalee and the fire. But she was leaving Lavi behind, too. She didn't know if he'd be okay; if the others were going to be okay.

Her control over the plank grew with time and she managed to get to the island after killing a few Akuma; coming at them from behind gave her a pretty definite advantage. She passed the shore and came across a turf, which led her into a forest. She wasn't sure which way to go and she was about to fly higher when she heard his voice. Tortured and pained and tired and screaming, "Suman!"

Devina's control over the plank vanished completely and she was on the floor in a matter of seconds. The fall was quite painful and the distance quite high, but she pushed her arms and legs and she sat on all fours. She grunted before she forced herself to stand up.

She heard him yell again and she called his name, "Allen!" she called again and again.

"Devina, help!" and she was running. She couldn't tell how she was doing it but she did it, she ran toward his voice.

"Allen!" she yelled.

"I'm right here, Devina," and she was close, she was so close; her heart was thumping so loud it was deafening. She finally found him in the middle of a clearing, sitting on his knees in front of a pale looking human. Yes, Devina thought it was a human but she couldn't make sure. She took a step forward and she saw that Allen was crying. She felt her heart split as she took another step forward.

"Allen…?"

His head snapped in her direction, "Devina," his voice broke and her heart broke and she was sure everything was breaking.

"What… what happened, Allen?"

"Devina, I pulled Suman out, I pulled him out but he's… he's… his life energy has run out; he's only alive because his heart still beats but- but," Allen was crying and she didn't know what to do, she didn't know what was happening. She looked at the man, or the shell of a man in front of him, eyes rolled, mouth drooling, with silver skin and hair all fallen.

"A-allen, is he a… an E-exorcist?" Devina could barely make herself say it, she could barely make herself ask him. Allen seemed to be holding back a sob. Something in his left hand glistened and Devina turned all her focus on that instead, "what's that, Allen?"

"Suman's Innocence…" That settled it. Suman, the man in front of Allen was once an Exorcist but for some reason he wasn't one any more.

"Did the Innocence reject him, Allen?" she knew Allen was barely listening to her; he was so grief-stricken and broken and she needed to nail him to the ground.

"Why… is this happening? Why did it have to end up this way?" Allen punched his right arm into the earth, burying his face into the ground. "This isn't the end. Suman isn't dead yet. He can still be saved."

"Allen…" Devina started but she didn't know what to say again. She wanted to ask him about Lenalee and why she wasn't with him but she was almost sure he was going to ignore her, the way he had ignored all her questions. She stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Allen."

"Devina…?" he said her name in a manner that made it seem as though he just realized she was there. He looked around him before his eyes landed on Suman again, "Come on, Suman; let's go home."

As soon as those words left Allen's lips, Suman's forehead ripped open and purple butterflies strewed out of him. But it was not possible. Devina could only assume the butterflies were actually devouring him from the inside out… but how did they enter his body to begin with? Devina thought she heard footsteps earlier, but she was sure someone was with them now. She turned around, a blade forming in her hands, ready to attack.

* * *

_Author's Note: I can't believe this has made it this far, almost at double digit chapters now. Thanks for everyone who's followed or reviewed. Please keep them coming :)_


	9. Chapter 9

**This is where everything really begins in this story, so I hope y'all enjoy the next segment!**

**There probably won't be any update next week because I'm traveling on Sunday and I have no idea if I'll have any internet access or enough time. I may, however, post another one beforehand, if I get some nice reviews. *wink wink***

**Anyway, without further ado...**

* * *

Devina was immediately distracted when Allen started tearing the butterflies off Suman. "Stop, stop, stop! Leave Suman," and in his haste to get the butterflies away, one managed to brush his left arm, leaving a little hole in its wake, making Allen hiss. Devina realized Allen's left arm was irreparable and gripped his coat to pull him back.

"Allen," Devina was wishing she was a healer, she was wishing it with all her heart because Allen's left arm was limp and his entire frame was shaking. Timcanpy, his golem – the communication device used among Order members and for other purposes − was floating next to him, his golden wings flapping tirelessly.

The butterflies that attacked Suman finished him off and then flew away, only to turn back sharply, and Devina could sense that she and Allen were next. She wound herself around Allen covering him completely by wrapping her arms around him, trying to obscure him from the vile creatures. She could feel him wince and he was about to object, the purple butterflies were at her back when they were all interrupted.

"Tease," a deep voice spoke from the darkness before revealing its owner. Tall, dark and handsome, dressed in an immaculate black suit with a white shirt underneath and a top hat on top of his wavy hair. His eyes were gold and piercing, and he had a mole under his left eye. "Come." The butterflies were black tornadoes whirling back into his raised palms. Devina couldn't help but feel reminded by her own power. The swarm of butterflies reshaped into two separate giant butterflies, each resting on either palm; he kissed one of them before he addressed the two Exorcists. "My, my, aren't you two a lovely couple."

She untangled herself from Allen as gently as she could. She glanced at him, hoping he'd know who this was but Allen seemed clueless, and about ready to faint. A moment later though, a flash crossed his eyes and Allen gasped. "You bastard," the green cross on his left hand buzzed to life and then went out when he tried to activate his arm.

"Allen, stop," Devina urged but he was screaming in agony and she wanted to die rather than hear him scream one more time. "Do you know who he is?"

"He was in Suman's memories. He's the one who threatened him and had him become a traitor," Allen spoke, venom seeping out of his tongue.

"That arm of yours, can it be Innocence, boy?" the stranger asked, drawing nearer before he knelt right in front of Allen and began studying his face. "You're Cheating Boy A, not that you'd recognize me when I'm in this form, but still…"

"What did you do to Suman? Did you kill him?" Allen questioned, "answer me!" he yelled when the strange man didn't answer.

"Well, I had to. He was my enemy, after all." He lit up a cigarette right then and there and started smoking it, inhaling in the toxin. "Well, there's no harm in me telling you since you'll be dead in a minute. You see, these," he said, moving his hands, where the butterflies rested, "are called Tease. They're cannibalistic golems the Earl made for me." The golem butterflies flew away. "They eat humans and the more they eat the more the reproduce and grow."

It hit her then. This man was a member of the Noah family, one of the Millennium Earl's followers and those who obey the Earl's orders. Devina wanted to smack herself in the face because it had taken her so long to associate what Klaud had told her about the color of their skin with this stranger's.

Devina had to act; she needed to get Allen out of there and fast. She aimed for his right arm and placed her hand under his arm in a second. She was about to lift him when a hand wrapped around her throat, tight, constricting and suffocating and dark. Devina had a rod protrude from the center of her chest and pierce right through the Noah's, but it didn't seem to injure him, in fact, it seemed to pass right through him. Her focus was faltering, air dwindling and vision blurring. Allen was not going to be okay because he was going to try to help her now and that would absolutely get him killed.

"What a nasty little power you have," the stranger smirked. "A strike of luck, really, that I'm your opponent." She used the remainder of her strength to tug at his hand clenched around her throat. "If I let go, will you obey me?" he asked, tantalizing.

She couldn't breathe until he allowed her some air. She gasped and gasped and she swallowed all the oxygen she could get. He was about to choke her again when she croaked, "okay,"

"I can't hear you, love,"

"I'll cooperate," she gasped.

"Good," he grinned before he lifted her up and catapulted her into a tree. Devina heard herself scream, her back sounding a few unpleasant cracks. "That was Tease's power, devouring humans and all," he went back to explaining, as if never interrupted. Devina tried to hurl herself up but the pain was so immense and overwhelming, she wanted to go to sleep. "This is my power," and the Noah's hand went right through Allen's chest.

Devina was crawling. She was crawling toward her friend, slowly and deliberately. "Allen," she cried out. "What are you doing, you bastard?"

"Don't worry, love. He's not hurting yet. You see, my hand – no, my entire body – can pass through objects. That is my power, but it only happens if I'm not willing to touch them. That's why if I pulled out my hand and let's say, I decided that I wanted to touch your boyfriend's heart, I could rip out his heart right out of his chest." Devina couldn't breathe. His hands were inside Allen's chest. "Tell me, how does it feel to have your heart ripped out while you're still alive, boy?"

But Allen didn't flinch and he didn't make a sound. Instead, he stared back at the man in the top hat, eyes unblinking and headstrong.

The man seemed astonished, "you don't care, huh? Oh, well, I'm not gonna rip your heart out, that would get my gloves dirty." He drew back. "I'll have Tease do it, like I normally do."

"Normally…" Allen echoed.

"Yup, she'll devour your organs, like she did to all your Exorcist friends who died due to their internal organs being removed. Daisya Barry, Kazana Reed and Chakar Rabon. Suman helped me so I didn't do that to him, instead I left a Tease inside him and had him be a mating ground and that earned me quite a few more Tease." Allen clenched his uninjured fist. "Oh, right, there was a General Yeegar, as well. I don't think I killed him right away though, I don't remember why I did that… Oh, yes! I made him a messenger."

Devina couldn't take it anymore, this was more than enough, more than she could possibly take. She wanted to kill him.

"He must've been in a lot of pain because most of his organs were eaten by Tease." The Noah continued, not at all discouraged by Devina and Allen.

"You- how dare you? How dare you do that to everyone?" Allen shouted.

"Oh, you hadn't heard, too bad,"

The back of Allen's right hand collided with the Noah's cheek and he jerked backwards, cigarette flying and the hand he had immersed inside Allen involuntarily exiting. "I will never forgive you," Allen hissed, about to punch him with his left hand but Tyki stopped it easily.

"Allen, stop," Devina tried to move forward, edging closer, dragging her body.

"Devina, stay where you are," Allen commanded and the Noah's eyes glistened.

"Did you say Devina?" he said aloofly as he lifted Allen's left arm, twisting it and easily breaking it. Allen's agony and screams and pain were reverberating within Devina's bones. She couldn't have a chance to ponder the Noah's words.

"Allen," the girl cried, forcing herself on her feet.

"Yes, come here, darling." The Noah beckoned to her to come closer and she froze in place. He laughed jovially, "aren't I lucky? I am looking for Allen Walker and I'm guessing white hair there and cursed arm is him, and you've been calling him Allen all night so that is indeed Allen Walker. I am really, really lucky. And now, he called you Devina, is that right?" he asked, eyeing her greedily.

Neither Devina nor Allen spoke. The Noah was in front of Devina in a flash and he held her face in his palm and she recoiled.

"I should've recognized you," he said quietly, as if talking to himself. His face hardened, "Devina, be a doll and activate your Innocence, please." The Noah commanded. Devina made no attempts to do anything at all. "If you do not obey me, I will serve you his heart for supper. Do as you're told," Devina whimpered before she lifted her right arm and formed a connection with the powers surging within her. She allowed the white liquid to seep out and float around her palm.

"What do you want me to do with this?" she asked, hoping he'd ask her to send it flying through his brain and then solidify it there.

"Can you wait for a second?" The Noah said before he let her go, turning to Allen. He gripped his left hand and seemed to be channeling powers through it because Allen was screaming. He was screaming louder than ever before and the Noah tore Allen's arm out of its socket. Devina was running at the Noah, her bones already sharp as icicles and flying at him, when he drew back, the sharp icicles were going to end up piercing Allen so she dropped them to the ground.

"Did you know, boy, that we had the power to destroy the Innocence?" the Noah asked. "Did you know that this girl has an Innocence that both protects and destroys the Innocence?" he chuckled.

"What?" Devina's head turned toward him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"We're going to test it out right now." The Noah informed the two Exorcists, holding Allen's left arm in place. He squished it so hard until it was destroyed, and the green crystal that was the original shape of Allen's Innocence remained, held between his thumb and index. "Pick up your little rods, girl, and send them through the Innocence."

"No, no, I won't," Devina objected, shaking her head. "Go ahead and kill me."

"No, I won't kill you yet, the Earl has several plans for you. But you will destroy this Innocence or you will watch your friend die."

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know you're going to kill himanyway! I will not destroy his Innocence," _this isn't happening, this isn't happening, this can't be happening._

The Noah went to stand next to Allen and held back his right arm. "I will break every limb from his body until there is nothing left, or you will destroy his Innocence."

Devina still didn't budge but he twisted Allen's other arm and Devina was hyperventilating and then she was screaming _no, no, no,_ and the rods were flying anyway and she didn't know whether it was her or she lost control, but the Noah dropped Allen to the floor as the Innocence turned to glittery green dust.

"Fascinating…" the Noah breathed out, delighted. "Absolutely magnificent,"

Devina was on her knees and she was crying; Allen wasn't looking at her. She needed him to look at her because she didn't have a choice. She couldn't stand to watch him die. She was sobbing so uncontrollably, that the Noah had walked over to her without her noticing. He caressed her hair, his hands trailing her cheek before ending up behind her neck, where he they rammed into it forcefully and professionally. Everything went black then.

* * *

Lenalee had seen Suman's light disappear deep within the forest, so after rescuing the little girl caught in Suman's evolved Fallen form, she went back to the ship and got to Lavi who in turn picked her up on his hammer. The two followed the trail of light into the dark forest, trudging past trees; they kept getting cut by tree branches and other splinters, but they didn't seem to care. Lenalee was frantic and panicked and shaking; she needed to find Allen and Suman. They also had no clue what became of Devina.

They reached a clearing and their steps were cut short when they saw a pool of blood on the ground. "A-allen-kun…" she gasped, "Allen-kun! Allen-kun!" Lenalee shouted, spotting Timcanpy fluttering his wings to land in her open palm. "Tim, what happened?" she asked the golden golem, who in turn flew in the opposite direction.

Lenalee's eyes came across a white pale trunk, or so she'd thought but it wasn't really a tree. Devina's face was at the center of a leafless autumn tree made of bones, rooted to the earth. "Devina," Lenalee called, "Devina! Devina!" she reached for her friend and touched her cheek but the girl was not responding. "Lavi, what do you think happened here?"

Lavi was frozen on the spot near the blood on the ground. "I don't know what happened…" Lavi glanced between Devina's rooted form and the pool of blood less than a foot away from him. Timcanpy fluttered his wings and Lavi made his way over to the two girls. "What is it, Tim?"

Tim opened his mouth and popped out the green crystalized Innocence.

"Is that Suman's Innocence? Tim?" Lenalee asked and the golden golem nodded with his entire being.

Tim then flew a little farther away and opened his mouth wide to project a screen, which replayed the events that transpired in the forest between Allen, the Noah and Devina.

"Allen-kun… he saved Suman…" Lenalee gasped. "That was the light I saw earlier,"

The two observed as Suman's head was torn open from the inside out, and the butterflies immersed, "but… why? Allen-kun saved him… what is happening?" and then they saw the dark, well-dressed stranger approach.

Lavi's eyebrows shot in recognition, "A Noah!" he watched as the Noah ran his hand through Allen's chest and Devina's intervention, then being strangled in the process. Lavi felt bile forming at the back of his throat and he forced it down as he watched her fight the Noah, conjuring up a rod that went right through his chest but he didn't seem fazed. Lavi's forehead creased in an effort to comprehend what was going on.

Lenalee held her hands to her ear as the screams of her friends resonated through the forest. They watched as the Noah broke Allen's arm and made Devina destroy his Innocence. Lavi's heart raced, his eyes flying between the projection and the girl rooted to the earth a few miles away. They saw Devina wailing, screaming and hysterical, the Noah gently caressing her face before he made her pass out hitting the back of her neck. They watched Allen taking the chance to send Timcanpy away with Suman's Innocence before the Noah could turn back to him. That was when Tim's mouth closed, his projection ending.

Lenalee glanced at Lavi, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Allen is probably…" he trailed, his eyes on the pool of blood, and Lenalee held back a sob. He saw a card, with a black ace in its center, lying on the ground and picked it up examining it, before he shoved it into his pocket. His golem made a buzzing sound.

"Lavi," he heard Bookman's voice, "you must return to port. A messenger has arrived."

"A messenger? Gramps, we have a situation… Devina, she's…"

"What is it?" Bookman asked.

"It's her Innocence."


	10. Chapter 10

Bookman circled the tree-shaped bone structure, surrounding the young female Exorcist.

"Have you seen anything like it?" Lavi asked him.

The old man mused, "none, I've never heard of such a phenomena occurring; an Innocence protecting its' host is unparalleled." He paused, "but we need to head back to port, Lavi. Do you think it's breakable?"

"I don't think so. The last we've seen in Tim's memories of her was that she passed out because the Noah gave her a critical hit to the nape. I am assuming this happened because her Innocence protected her afterwards," Lavi's breath hitched remembering how the Noah touched her hair and face. "He seemed interested in her, and said that he didn't want her dead, that the Earl had plans for her," Lavi was speaking really fast, his photographic memory kick-starting. "Her Innocence seems capable of destroying other Innocence."

Bookman seemed lost in thought for a moment, storing the information Lavi was delivering to him. "Lavi, we need to wake her up."

"But she's passed out and she's probably broken a couple of bones."

"If your theory is correct, she can be The Heart; we won't be able to remove her out of her bones because they'll keep protecting her, most probably." Bookman surmised.

"But it could be temporary; we need to try," Lavi argued, but understood how serious this phenomena was. Devina being The Heart and the Earl's interest in her were bad news. If Devina was The Heart, the root of all Innocence, the destruction of her Innocence would lead to the vanquishing of all Innocence.

Lenalee was immersed in her grief and she barely noticed Bookman's arrival, but their argument seemed to remind her that she didn't lose all her friends and that one of them was trapped in her own bones right now, severely injured and traumatized. Lenalee got to her feet, and made her way toward Devina.

"Devina," Lenalee began repeating her name, gaining the attention of the two Bookmen. "Devina!" her voice continued to rise. "Devina, for heaven's sake wake up, wake up!" Lenalee shouted.

But the girl's eyes did not flutter open, and her breaths did not quicken.

"Devina!" Lenalee restarted the process again, "Devina!"

"Lenalee, stop…" Lavi said gently, feeling sorry for her. He knew where she was coming from. She lost Allen, and she didn't want to lose Devina, too. He knew. But this was also hard for him to watch.

"No, call her out with me, Lavi. You two are always bickering and fighting, hearing your voice will probably bring her back to life!"

And the bile was back at the tip of his throat, threatening to spill out, making him choke. "D-devina, wake up, you idiot. We had a challenge, which I'm sure I won," he paused, "Devina, Devina, Devi!"

Her eyes flickered and she gasped, her head turning left and right and her eyes met Lavi's and she leaned forward, "L-lavi," and it was barely a whisper but he heard it and his heart leapt a distance. He started trying to break at the cracks and it was working. She toppled forward as the Innocence released her when enough piles were broken and removed; Lavi caught her in his arms.

He could see what was left of her uniform, a short cropped top and small boy shorts, all ripped and ragged. He felt himself swallow, and fight hard against the heat that was threatening to overtake his face at such bad timing.

Devina drew back blinking at him, and he thought he was caught red-handed, but her hands remained across his chest. "What happened?" she said, finally seeing Lenalee and Bookman.

"You don't remember?" Lenalee asked, concerned.

"I came after Allen," her voice was so raw, it seemed like every word she spoke was ripping at her vocal chords. "He was with Suman… but it was too late, it was too late, then those butterflies, they- they- ate Suman and, and there was a Noah…" she trailed, seeming to recall everything in a flash, "oh… oh, god." She pulled herself away from Lavi and then started looking around. "Allen… where's- where's Allen?" her voice broke. "Oh, god," she shook her head, "no, no, no, no, no, no." She looked from Lavi to Bookman and then Lenalee. "What happened?"

Lenalee's lips quivered, "w-we d-d-don't know,"

Devina held her face in her hands and screamed. She screamed until her voice gave out before she angrily turned to Bookman, "what was a Noah doing here? Can we track them? I need to find that bastard. I need to find him." And she was repeating the last sentence placidly, that Lenalee had to place her hand on Devina's shoulder to break her out of her trance. "You don't understand, I did this! I did this to him. I destroyed his arm, oh, god."

"Devina," Lavi called, his tone both gentle and firm and she squirmed in her place. "What about your injuries?"

"Who cares about my injuries? Allen is probably d-d-d… and you're asking about my injuries?"

"But Lavi said you had some broken bones," Bookman interjected.

"I don't know, and I don't give a damn." Devina snapped while the two Bookmen exchanged a knowing glance; her Innocence had healed her.

"Devina," Lenalee spoke, earning the girl's attention, "we need to head back to port, the Order sent a messenger who's been waiting for us for a while now," she explained. "Do you think you can walk back?"

"Or better yet, make one of those planks you flew on to get here," Lavi cut in.

Devina turned to give Lavi a stare that could only be regarded as a minor glare, but the redhead didn't seem to notice. She focused her energy on her toes and her bones were liquid once again, before she jumped up and they solidified bellow her feet, larger than before. "Hop on," she muttered.

"Brilliant!" Lavi jumped on and he helped Lenalee and Bookman get on before Devina flew them towards the port. She was trying very hard to listen to Bookman's directions, and trying even harder not to fall apart. She knew Lenalee was stealing glances at her every now and then. She also knew that Lavi was acting so cheerful after losing one of his friends just to lighten up her mood, but she couldn't take it and more than anything, she didn't want anyone worrying about her.

She didn't want to admit it, but Lavi's suggestion, that she flies them to port was really helping her focus on keeping the plank balanced rather than cry or think about Allen, and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd done it on purpose.

They reached the port shortly, Devina's control barely slipping at all this time. She landed them right next to Anita, Mahoja and Krory. There seemed to be a hooded man standing farther ahead, next to the wooden gangplank connecting the port to the ship.

The group approached him and he spoke, "it's good to see you again, Lenalee-san,"

"Are you… you're from the Asian Branch," Lenalee seemed to recognize him when he drew back his hood to reveal an old bearded man.

"My name is Won. Our Chief Officer sent me with some news."

"What sort of news?" Lavi asked. Devina stood next to him, looking at the newcomer from the Asian Branch with acute fascination. She'd heard of the other branches but she hadn't expected to be meeting someone who belongs to one so soon.

"We have found Allen Walker's body and we are keeping him at our headquarters."

Devina gasped, "what?" while Lenalee's eyes widened, "really?"

"Yes," the man nodded, and Lenalee tackled him, holding onto his arms.

"Is he alright? Is Allen-kun okay?" she clutched at the old man. "You've got to take me to him. I want to see him."

Won seemed to ignore her pleas completely. "You are to leave this port at once and leave Allen here, once and for all."

"Does that- does that mean he's dead?" Lenalee asked and Devina shoved a fist inside her own mouth to keep from screaming.

"Would you stop playing at riddles and start explaining things, old man?" Devina lashed out.

"I know this is not easy for you to hear, but please try to understand." Won said grimly.

Lenalee's arms were limp at her side, no longer hanging onto Won. "Lenalee," Devina began but she didn't know what to say next.

"Lenalee, you've seen Tim's memory; his arm was destroyed… he's no longer an Exorcist. We have to move forward," Lavi was saying, and Devina was so ready to punch him but when she saw the look on his face, she digressed. His visible eye mirrored the sadness she felt and she kept her fist hanging by her side.

"But…" Anita spoke for the first time since they had arrived, "the ship- it's broken and damaged. It will take some time to fix. I'm afraid it's just not possible for us to sail right away,"

"Don't worry about that, my lady," Won said, smiling slightly. "The European Branch had sent some backup; the perfect Exorcist to assess the situation, Miranda Lotto."

Said Exorcist made her appearance at the top of the gangplank. She was taller than Devina, with dark wavy brown hair that dipped bellow her shoulders. She had brown eyes that were heavily lined with black circles. Devina guessed the new Exorcist never got any sleep and she wondered why. She wore a pair of black pants, a white undershirt and a black jacket with the Order's crest over her heart.

Miranda took two graceful steps and Devina felt so envious of this problem-solving individual, before she tripped on one of the steps and fell down the wooden plank, landing headfirst. Devina was immediately washed over by guilt, that she leaned over and helped the older woman stand. She noticed Miranda had dropped a black suitcase and ran to get it for her.

Miranda seemed absolutely horrified at receiving Devina's help and the suitcase and she drew away from Devina as soon as she found her footing, thanking her relentlessly. "Everyone, please stand back." She sat down her suitcase, before she clicked a little disk hanging from her right arm and it slid down to stop at her wrist at the place she'd normally put on a wristwatch. "Activate Time Record – Time Recovery."

The ship seemed to be fixing itself, Devina noticed. The torn sails were returning to their original perfect white floating form, the holes and cracks were disappearing, as if the ship hadn't sustained any damage. But Devina realized it was more than that. Miranda's Innocence had more to do with the time's restoration than the objects' themselves. By the time Miranda had finished, the ship looked as it did when they first sailed.

* * *

The Exorcists were all meeting in the room on deck, a request made by Miranda. The room was spacious and its walls were lined up with middle-sized glass pane windows. Inside, Miranda sat on a chair and had her suitcase open, having delivered a new uniform to the male Exorcists to replace the ones that were destroyed or ruined in the battle.

Lavi, Krory and Bookman came out of the bathroom dressed in their new uniforms. Lavi seemed to really like his, because in a second, he started bouncing up like a child, trying out the flexibility of the material.

"It's very light and easy to move in," he commented, grinning. It definitely seemed like a better uniform; compared to his old coat-like outfit, his new white pants and black jacket seemed more convenient.

Bookman's outfit now comprised of white pants and a blouse that was similar to a Changshan's. Krory's cape remained, but underneath it, he wore a tight black jacket, similar to Lavi's along with black pants.

"I'm told it's the latest design. I was specifically asked to deliver them to you since your uniforms have sustained a lot of damage." Miranda explained. She stood up to hand Lenalee and Devina their outfits but she stopped short in her tracks when she saw Lenalee sitting on the short stairs that led to the exit of the room and Devina who had helped her earlier, a little ways off from Lenalee, her back against the wall, her arms crossed against her chest and her head bent. "Lenalee-chan," she called but Lenalee didn't seem to hear her. She looked to the newest Exorcist, opened her mouth but closed it since she didn't yet learn her name.

"They're a little shaken. Lenalee regrets leaving Allen alone, while Devina blames herself for not chasing them to begin with, and well… destroying his Innocence."

Lavi gritted his teeth, enraged, before his fist broke through the window pane. "Enough already! There was nothing else any of you could've done. We were all fighting for our lives last night; there was no way for him to be saved. This is war! It couldn't be helped!" Lavi shouted. Lenalee remained unfazed while Devina's hands clawed at her face wiping her tears. "Stop this and get up!" Lenalee's eyes widened, before her tears slowly fell down her cheek, and Lavi gulped, warily.

Bookman turned to Lavi and strangled him in a headlock, "I'm sorry, ladies. He's going to pay for this," Bookman leaned into his successor's ear, "Calm down, you idiot."

"Why should I, Panda? I'm not saying anything wrong-" Lavi complained loudly.

Devina was about to strangle him because she's had enough of his loud mouth and his attitude. Barefoot and silent, she was making her way fast toward the two Bookmen, but she paused when she heard the older of the two speak.

"Do you think you're a disciple of God's now, is it? You are nothing but the successor of Bookman. How many times do I have to remind you to be an observer at all times? War is the essence of all history and it is because of war that history happens. The Bookmen are those who remain unattached, tied down by nothing as they impartially record down everything that occurs, _without bias_. Don't get caught up in the war. We're only on the Church's side to record what happens. Don't lose sight of your goal, Lavi."

Lavi's eye stared back at Bookman's, full of doubt and uncertainty and conflict. "I understand. I'm sorry,"

Devina turned toward Miranda to grab her outfit instead of punching him because his apology was like a punch to her gut and Bookman's rebuke made her feel really bad for Lavi, and more than upset with Bookman.

"Can I have my outfit, please?" she said to Miranda.

Miranda fiddled nervously before handing her the white package, "y-y-yes,"

"I still can't believe the child who was prophesized of being The Destroyer of Time is dead; it was my interest in him that made me join Cross's squad to begin with. I thought 'Time' in The Destroyer of Time stood for something; Time and Millennium, I thought maybe Allen Walker was the one who would destroy the Millennium Earl; and if that were true, he wouldn't have died here."

Devina couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't believe Bookman was just reprimanding Lavi but now he was speaking inconsiderately and she had to remind herself that he was a lot older than she was, and that punching him would be very inexcusable.

"This makes me doubt that he's dead," the older man added, smiling slightly in Lenalee's direction, and Devina felt horrible for misjudging him.

A knock sounded on the door behind Lenalee. "Honored Exorcists, is everything alright? It's very loud on your end," Anita opened the door, stepping in along with Mahoja.

Mahoja made her way toward the broken glass in a few strides and she was very displeased. Bookman and Krory pointed at Lavi, "He broke it."

Mahoja walked over to Lavi and leaned over him, looking him in the eye.

"I'm sorry?" he began but her face grew nearer and he broke into a thousand apologies, slanting against Miranda who then pointed out that her Time Record would keep fixing everything as long as it is activated. And it did immediately reshape the broken glass. However, she added that the moment she deactivated it, the ship would go back to its original form. For as long as the crew and Exorcists remain on the ship, their wounds and injuries will heal with her ability, but if she deactivates, those would also return.

Devina needed to get out of that room, away from Lavi and Bookman; so with her uniform secured between her arms, she trudged past Anita and out the door.

* * *

Lenalee was headed to the showers; having received her latest uniform, she wanted to cleanse herself from the aftermath of the battle.

She entered the shared bathroom and was shocked to find Devina slumped bellow one of the showers in what remained of her uniform. Lenalee had realized she'd been gone for a while, but could it be that she's been here ever since?

Devina sat bellow the pouring water, her legs and head bent.

* * *

_Author's Note: So, as promised, here's another chapter! I can't believe this has lasted for ten chapters. Thank you so much for the reviews! They made my day._

_I would just like to remind you there won't be a chapter next Wednesday, and this was to make up for it. Have a pleasant week!_


	11. Chapter 11

Lenalee ran towards Devina, dropping her uniform on the bathroom tiles, kneeling before her friend.

"Devina?" she called but the girl did not look up. "Devina, Devina," she shook her shoulders, gripping them tightly and Devina's eyes were focused again.

They widened in surprise. "What is it? What's happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Everything's… fine. How long have you been here, Devina?" Lenalee asked, getting to the point.

"I just- I just got here… I left the meeting and came straight here." Devina said, studying Lenalee.

"But Devina, that meeting ended at least two hours ago," Lenalee said softly, "are you… alright?"

Devina didn't answer right away, she pulled back and lent against the wall behind her, drawing her legs and wrapping her arms around them. "I'm… I will be. I just don't know how to deal with what I'm feeling right now. Allen is… Allen is d… dead because of me." She finally managed to utter it and it was enough to restart her sobs. "So, I… I honestly don't know why you're talking to me right now. You cared for him a lot, and I killed him, so why are you talking to me right now?"

Lenalee struck her right across the cheek, and Devina gasped then held her bruised cheek. "That's enough, Devina…" Lenalee said quietly. "That Noah is the only one to blame for anything that's happened to Allen. It wasn't your fault,"

Devina nodded, "I know you're right, but it was my Innocence that doomed him and whatever you say can't change that."

"But you did it to protect him," Lenalee argued.

"But he's dead anyway." Devina smiled bitterly and then she laughed. "He is dead, anyway." She got up and turned off the shower then started walking away from Lenalee.

"Devina," Lenalee called.

"Don't worry, Lenalee. I've lost friends before, so I'll be okay, but I've just… never killed one."

Devina went back to her room and put on her new uniform, one that looked exactly the same as her older one but with more material, apparently. While taking off what remained of her uniform, Devina spared herself a moment to finally look at what had remained of her outfit. Her suit had been torn in two halves, a cropped top, and a pair of boy shorts. She tried to ignore the embarrassment, at Lavi having seen her like this, tugging at her center, so she decided to climb up deck and see if anyone needed her help.

But there wasn't anyone on board. She was about to turn around and head back to her room when she spotted him. Lavi was leaning his arms against the wooden rails, a black ace between his half-gloved thumb and index. He was staring at it, examining it as if it might reveal the mysteries of the world. Devina realized he was too immersed in his thought, having not noticed her presence yet.

Lavi's head was swimming with Bookman's words. He kept hearing the Old Panda's voice, repeating that he shouldn't get too involved with the war; that he was only the successor to Bookman and nothing but, that he should remain an observer, that he was on the Order's side to record history. That's it. "I'm not their supporter…" Lavi's mind seemed to be playing tricks on him, because all of a sudden, he could see nothing but the smiling faces of his friends, Allen and Kanda and all the men he'd come to know, and Miranda and Lenalee… and Devina. He could hear Bookman telling him to remember his goal. "Keep recording, and keep moving forward," he buried his face in his arms, resting on the rail, "a Bookman has no need for a heart."

"Lavi!" Devina's shout brought him back to the ship, and he wondered how long she'd been standing there. "Lavi, behind you!" Devina jumped, trying to make it in time, trying to push him out of the Akuma's way, but she made it in time to get caught in his spinning kick, sending her and Lavi into the mast, a spiraling bundle, breaking it.

"Title: The Corpses of Exorcists," Devina heard the Akuma say and she panicked. She had landed on Lavi, her small frame practically on his lap. His arms were scorched and lip by his side. He'd wrapped them around her to shield her. She lifted herself up, her arms on either side of him. "Lavi, Lavi, are you okay? Lavi!"

Within minutes, Miranda's Time Record had managed to heal his wounds. Lavi's jade orb flickered and then focused, intense. "Devi?"

Devina was flabbergasted, "don't call me that," she said with a frown, before shoving him and standing up.

"Oww, I've just received and injury, you know?"

"And now you're healed." She said, turning to assess the situation, but the Akuma was right in front of her, right in her face. Devina stared up at the tall armored demon; it was a rather odd one, clad in bronze armor, immaculately tall; it towered over her and it had ginger long hair peaking from its armor. Devina gaped, before she remembered she herself was a weapon. She grinned. "You're a fast one,"

Miranda, Bookman, Krory, Lenalee, Anita and Mahoja had all sensed the Akuma's presence and felt the ship shake when the mast broke down; they had rushed to the deck and were gawking at the sight of a single Akuma inflicting so much damage. Miranda's Innocence took effect, fixing the broken mast.

"Gouka Kajin, Hi Ban," Devina was startled, her attack halted as Lavi took charge. She had found his fire seals quite captivating, how the flames caressed her without really burning her skin. _Not all Innocence is destructive,_ a voice inside her reminded, and she grimaced. Her grimace deepened when the flames disappeared, revealing they hadn't had any affect on the Akuma. Nor did Lavi's extended hammer, which had landed on the demon, but it stood unfazed and unaffected.

"Title: Why Aren't You Dead?" it asked Lavi. He seemed to be struggling with the fact that his Innocence had done little to no damage at all, the shock evident on his face.

"Why isn't this working?" Lavi asked no one in particular, as he pushed his hammer at the Akuma, but the Akuma merely pushed it back with its head. It seemed to snort before it sent Lavi and his hammer flying back into one of the sails. Devina had watched everything unfold intently, and the Akuma's hand hadn't even pushed back the hammer before it was sent flying, taking Lavi with it. She couldn't fathom what was happening.

The Akuma hadn't spared Lavi a minute before it flew up to him, inches from him. Devina knew Lavi was too stunned to act, so she hopped onto one of the masts, focused her energy and sent a flying barrier of bones to block the Akuma's attack. But the moment the Akuma punched into the barrier, it liquefied once again, and Devina heard herself and Mahoja scream at Lavi to dodge, but he couldn't move.

Bookman was quick to act, sending a mass of sharp needles to land between Lavi and the Akuma's approaching fist.

Devina didn't understand what happened. She didn't understand why her barrier had failed to protect him, and she was swallowed into a pit of shame and guilt. Lavi could've died…

"Heaven Compass, Needle of Spells, North Crime," The needles backfired, dissolving and then piercing every inch of the Akuma's armor, nailing it to a mast.

"Devina, are you okay?" Lenalee asked, stepping up beside her. She could notice the newest Exorcist was not, though; her eyes wide with panic and disbelief.

"My… Innocence," Devina gasped, "it's not… doing what I ask of it. It just… Lavi could've died."

Lenalee shook her head, "Miranda's Time Record is activated and Bookman managed to help him," but the young Exorcist didn't know how to console her friend.

At the mention of Bookman, Devina turned to scout what became of the two Bookmen and saw Lavi slide down the white sail. "Gramps," he called the old man.

"You idiot, scaring me like that!" Bookman yelled, making Lavi fall down the rest of the way. Devina almost laughed as Mahoja caught him between her arms.

"Devi, are you alright?" the Bookman successor asked her and she flinched.

"I told you not to call me that, Lavi," she pursed her lips. "I'm fine, but I think my Innocence is acting up,"

Lavi stared at her a moment too long and then said, "Maybe you should leave this to us,"

"Yes, and have the floor wiped with your blood, like it was going to be just a few seconds ago," she pointed out.

"Title: You Should've Finished Me Off, Why Didn't You?" and Devina felt her heart stop and her skin crawl.

"I will finish you shortly, but first, I have a few questions," Bookman replied, calmly. Devina had never seen the old man fight, being too busy to pause and stare on the last battle, but there was something very admirable about it, now that she was witnessing him let loose. "Where did you come from?" Bookman asked.

"Title: I Was Created From the Soul of a Japanese Nobleman."

"Since you've decided to appear here, on this ship, it can't be a mere meal hunt. Did the Earl give you the order?" Bookman interrogated.

"Title: Would You Like To Know Cross Marian's Location?" Bookman's eyes widened momentarily before the monster chomped its teeth into Bookman's arm, dragging him up, flying, flying higher up towards the sky.

Lavi called after Bookman, then dropped his hammer, headfirst, extending the handle, and flying to follow his mentor. Devina was breathing hard and she felt like she had to help, like she had to do something. She tried to form a plank beneath her feet to carry her up but she didn't know if it would last. She couldn't let Lavi handle it by himself, he was clearly not managing well, and Bookman had just been injured.

Her plank beneath her, she began to levitate steadily. "Devina, get down," Lenalee called after her but she ignored her and soared higher, faster, when her connection with the plank did not break.

She was high enough now, to feel the old man's needles falling millimeters from her face, hanging on Lavi's heel. She could sense his dread, palpable enough to reach her.

"Title: The Old Man and the Moon," she heard the Akuma's voice before Bookman came tumbling down the same way his needles did. Lavi rushed forward with his hammer's handle and grabbed him in his arms.

"Lavi, is he okay?" Lavi looked down and was startled to see Devina catching up.

"What are you-" but he cut himself off and winced as his injuries returned. He hissed before he started calling out to Bookman, trying to wake him up. "Gramps, gramps, gramps!"

A little moment later, enormous thunderous rods shot down from the sky, hitting everything and everyone, and Devina struggled not to let anything touch her, flying simultaneously to pick Bookman out of Lavi's arms, who seemed to be struggling to hang on to his hammer. The thunder striking would not stop. She expanded the plank she was on and had it partially liquefy to form vines, wrapping around Bookman to keep him in place.

Before Devina could form any tangible plan, she could hear echoing footsteps, and she noticed something approaching, climbing up Lavi's hammer. She realized it was Lenalee, running up with her Dark Boots, but they seemed different, like an evolved form of the previous ones. "Lavi, Devina, take Bookman and return to the ship. I'll handle this one."

"Lenalee, stop! He's a level three! He's different from other Akuma! Don't-" Lavi hissed, and Devina turned reluctantly to look at him. "LENALEE!" he called after her, and Devina heard the desperation in his voice, enough to snap her in two.

"Lavi, hop on! I'll drop you back on the ship and head back up to help Lenalee," Devina floated and got near him. "Come on, there's no time to waste."

Lavi growled before jumping onto the plank with Devina, gripping his hammer and minimizing it back to its original size.

"Lavi, I need you to hold on to me," Devina tried not to squeak, tried to hide her face, tried to hide the blush dusting her cheeks. But Lavi obeyed, wrapping his arms mechanically around her waist, slightly leaning into her. She could feel his labored breaths on her ear, his nose at her neck, and she realized he was about to lose consciousness.

Devina had to make a tremendous effort in order to remain focused on the plank bellow their feet. She plunged down, leading her plank toward the ship. She could feel it slipping beneath her, she could feel her energy seeping out into the atmosphere and she knew she had to hurry; she had to land on the ship.

There were only three more feet between her and the ship when the plank disintegrated into wetness, and the three Exorcists were freefalling.

Krory managed to grab Lavi, Mahoja held onto Bookman and Devina fell a little ways off from Miranda. She groaned, her limbs cracking and protesting as she attempted to stand, but in moments, Miranda's Time Record had set into motion. She propelled, forming another plank and she was off.

"DEVINA!" she heard Lavi shout but she couldn't bear to look at him and she couldn't manage to take him either because her Innocence was being a useless piece of crap. She knew, however, that Lavi would be miserable if something would happen to Lenalee. Hell, if she were being rational – which she wasn't – she would realize she'd also be miserable if Lenalee were to die. She only added speed, her plank protesting beneath her, but she ignored it.

Devina was ascending at an impossible speed when something plummeted towards the water, plunging. Devina's heart cinched, hoping against all hope it was the Akuma falling down the drain. Her dread was met when she heard the Akuma say "Title: The Saint Who Fell Into Darkness," and her plank was gone. She was skyrocketing down toward the sea and she was falling fast, fast. She could barely lift up her arms against the wind, raising them to cover her face as she was thrust into the cold ocean water. Devina felt her lungs rupture.

Her eyes opened and they burned but she needed to find Lenalee so she fought against the salt and squinted, trying to locate her friend. She found Lenalee levels under water, and Devina pushed against the current and her lungs almost collapsed. She tried to grab onto her friend, but Lenalee was draped in an illuminated golden chain. As her hand moved past the chain, an electric current ran through her. She seethed, before she pushed her hand forward, closing around Lenalee's wrist. Devina pulled up her friend, gripping her arm so tightly, her eyes flung open.

On their way to the surface, Lenalee pulled back her arm and gestured for Devina to go on. Devina nodded hesitantly and worked her feet to swim faster. She soon discovered Lenalee had done that to activate her Innocence to the highest level. The chain wrapped around her had stretched as Lenalee's Innocence created a bubble of sorts around her, and then Lenalee was swimming towards her, faster than ever, in a golden-chained crystal ball.

Devina reached the surface, only to be sent bellow it again when Lenalee skimmed the surface, causing a tornado. She couldn't stop herself from swallowing salt water, and she tried to resurface but the waves were crashing against her, sending her further back inside the ocean's loins.

Devina's consciousness was slowly slipping from her. Her eyes nearly closed, her lungs felt like they were filling to the brim with water, and her muscles were relaxing. Death wouldn't be so bad, and she felt so, so tired. Her eyelids were drooping, as if gravitated, and then Lenalee screamed, and Devina's eyes widened, and she remembered she was not supposed to be drowning. She came here to save her friend. She came here to spare Lavi the anguish of losing the girl he secretly − or really openly − loved.

Devina's two feet were surrounded by her nullified bones liquefying, and her Innocence seemed to be cooperating of its own accord, forming two little circular mats underneath each foot out of the liquid that had seeped.

She was finally out of the water, gasping for air. She hadn't been out of the water for two seconds when Lenalee's body was sent flying into her, colliding forcibly. Devina forced her foot mats to remain in place and she tried to hold Lenalee back but those chains around Lenalee sent shocks of electricity running through her again, and she formed a barrier between the two of them, expanding a footing to keep Lenalee in place.

"Lenalee, we need to work as a team; you're going to die like this!" Devina rationalized.

"Devina, you need to get back to the ship. Your Innocence is going to get _you_ killed," Lenalee was breathing hard, barely managing to finish her sentence.

"Stop being such a self-sacrificing bitch! This won't bring Allen back!" Devina yelled and Lenalee froze in place.

"I don't know who's being self-sacrificing here, Devina…" Lenalee said, before whisking off toward the Akuma.

"Lenalee!" Devina screamed after her, gritting her teeth. She grumbled incoherently before she floated towards the Akuma, her patience having grown too thin. She was ready to kill that monster.

Lenalee was trying to kick the Akuma; her leg was sharply angled to land on its face, while the Akuma was ready to land a punch to her gut. The two collided, fists and legs, and Devina heard Lenalee's ribs crack under her skin. "I am growing so very sick of you," Devina muttered before she harnessed her energy into a countless dozen arrows, all aimed at it. She then found just about enough energy to come up with a sword, similar to the one she fought Kanda with, and Lenalee's eyes widened, seeing it for the first time.

Devina dashed toward the Akuma, her sword behind her back, before she swung it at the Akuma and then ran it across its armor, slashing it from head to toe.

"You bitch," the Akuma screamed, finally recognizing her as an enemy. It had ignored her because her Innocence had seemed so feeble and not worth destroying but now, it realized it had made a mistake. The Akuma was standing on thin air, before her in a second, and Devina turned to run away from it but gripped her hair and dragged her back, Devina screamed in pain, before she lifted her sword arm, aiming for another attack but the Akuma was fast and it gripped her sword arm, stopping it midair. The sword disintegrated and she gasped in surprise; the Akuma grinned gleefully.

Her Innocence formed a barrier between his fist, inches from her nose, and she gulped down, appreciatively, regretting that she called it a piece of crap earlier. Lenalee tried to land in a kick but the Akuma stopped her by grabbing hold of her approaching foot.

"Is that the best you can do, Exorcists? I'm afraid it won't be enough to kill a sturdy Level Three type like me." The Akuma boasted.

"Level Three have types?" Lenalee managed to ask it before it landed a hit on her stomach, again.

"Stop hitting her, you piece of shit," Devina yelled, ramming a thick barrier straight into the Akuma's face. It seemed to still.

"I am growing sick of you, you little fly." Devina heard the Akuma complain and she almost laughed, gleefully. She grinned but it was wiped off when the Akuma tossed Lenalee at her again. She was too busy forming barriers and keeping Lenalee from falling to notice that the Akuma had reappeared behind her. "Title: You're Dead," and his leg collided with her ribs, and she was falling again. The air had been completely knocked out of her as she splashed into the water, unable to scream.

The Akuma turned to Lenalee and it began to ram its fists and legs into her relentlessly. "Have you given up, Exorcist? I thought you had a bit more of a fight in you." Lenalee wanted to get Devina, she needed to save her. She was suppressing a sob because Devina had left everyone behind to come save her and she was right here getting her butt mulled by the Level Three. Lenalee's Innocence was at its limit, as well, but she called onto what's remaining of her energy to help her win the fight. She could feel the scales appearing across her face and then blemishing the rest of her. She was going to win and save Devina.

Lenalee was falling, having received so many kicks that sent her flying down towards the ocean, but she forced her boots into another attack. "Enbu, Kirikaze," she sent her stirring tornado flying at the Akuma, who in turn told her it was not enough to beat him as he slashed at the wind. She was standing behind him, ready to attack before he even noticed. "Shittsui no Tougi: Tetsukase," she was held upside down, her Dark Boots transformed into a morass of blades.

"How sad… This will never cut through my armor," the Akuma said.

"You're wrong," Lenalee replied. "You're out of energy." And she was right. His golden chain, which had been illuminated by a hot pink energy suddenly turned back to its gold limp form, releasing Lenalee and falling right onto the Akuma.

"Lenalee, stop!" Devina was out of the water, and flying up to meet her friend.

"I'm sorry, Devina. Please tell Lavi I am sorry for acting very selfishly before, he was hurting for Allen as well,"

"You tell him yourself!" Devina pushed against the wind, willing her mats to go faster "Lenalee, Lenalee, stop."

"This is the final attack," Lenalee plummeted down the sky, crashing into the Akuma. The Akuma struggled to push against Lenalee's collision. She was unstoppable in her brass-bladed armor and the Akuma's chains, which still surrounded her.

The Akuma sent an attack of his own to meet Lenalee's. There were two blasts of opposing energy now, and the impact created a massive explosion.

Devina was forced back into the water, her skin sizzling and her face burning and her eyes blinded by the light. Her lungs gave out and her heart kept thumping, _Lenalee, Lenalee, Lenalee._

* * *

_Author's Note: So sorry! I totally forgot yesterday was Wednesday, so I hope this (lengthier than usual) chapter makes up for it. I'm also sorry for the two week hiatus. I didn't realize I was staying in Egypt so long._

_Please send me your thoughts! I really like to hear from you guys!_


	12. Chapter 12

Lavi and Krory were persistently blocking the Akuma's continuous thunderous attacks, saving countless members of the crew in the process. Lavi had just blocked a thunderbolt, keeping it away from three crewmembers and they thanked him afterward. He spared a glance in the direction the girls had disappeared to, and breathed in sharply.

The ship was being destroyed, thunderstruck, and Miranda didn't understand why. She then looked at her Time Record and found it completely surrounded by the Akuma's illuminated chain. She gasped, unable to rewind the time, to heal her friends, or repair the ship. She could hardly keep from breaking down. The ship was sinking, filled with holes enough to bring it to the bottom of the ocean.

The entire crew was taking more damage than Time Recovery could keep up with. A few thunderbolts were threatening to land on Anita and Mahoja, missing the two females when Krory landed before them to take the hit. He was fatigued and worn out. It had been a while since he's sustained Akuma blood. The thunderbolts did not stop, and they realized the Akuma responsible for them was not the one Lenalee was fighting, but others obscured high in the sky, behind a cloud.

Lavi was busy on one of the masts, trying to block each attack his hammer could get to, when he saw Krory plop down a sail. "Kuro-chan, are you okay?"

The vampire Exorcist sighed, defeated, "I've run out of Akuma blood, Lavi."

Lavi was trying to get to him, running atop the mast's shaft when his foot slipped and he toppled, falling over. He was falling outside the ship's range and heading towards the ocean when a thunderbolt struck him, filling his blood with Akuma poison, and Lavi realized he was irrevocably doomed. He splashed into the water, too shocked to fight the currents and the waves and the rage of the ocean.

Krory had followed him into the waters, and he gripped his wrist, leaning into his neck before he bit and sucked. Krory's energy was restored as he sucked out the Akuma's venom out of Lavi's veins. He pulled at Lavi's wrist, and he was swimming upwards, resurfacing and landing on the ship, tossing Lavi on the floor.

Lavi perked up, eyes opening. "Wasn't I shot?"

"Yes, and luckily, you've helped me feed," Krory answered smugly.

Lavi's face paled, "feed? Off what?" and then he noticed the blood trickling down the two puncture wounds to the side of his neck. He squealed, panicky. "I can't believe you, Kuro-chan!"

"It seems I can extract the poison of the Akuma before it spreads completely. Thanks for the meal, Lavi,"

Lavi shuddered, before he heard Bookman's scolding. "For how long do you plan on standing over there and talking, you idiots?" Lavi and Krory were startled to hear him, and Krory muttered something about being spoken to in such a manner, before Bookman spoke again, "Why aren't you using your wood seal, Lavi?"

The redhead felt like slapping himself across the face. How could he forget he had such an attack? He felt like such an idiot. He leaned into Krory and whispered in his ear the contents of a plan that he'd just formed on the spot.

"I see, but with this kind of footing…" Krory trailed.

"Yup, if we fail, we'll be saying goodbye," Lavi concurred.

"I won't go down so easily," Krory argued, his eyes narrowing.

"That's right, think how sad Lenalee would be if she came back and the ship was gone," Lavi mused. He couldn't bring himself to even think about Devina and her uncooperative Innocence. He shook his head, and braced himself to execute his plan.

Lavi was sent flying, landing on his butt when the ship shook and was pulled back out of the water, its sinking half now horizontal and afloat. He looked around him, trying to make out what it was that stirred the ship.

"It's now or never, Lavi," Krory stood with his feet apart, holding onto his cape.

"Go now, Lavi!" Bookman shouted and Lavi rotated his hammer above himself, hitting the seals he had created.

"Moku Ban: Tenchi Bankai," Lavi called and slammed his hammer onto the ship, shooting a saber of light into the sky. This seal was not meant for offensive strategies, it solely allowed Lavi to control natural elements and the atmosphere. The saber he'd shot, caused the clouds to manifest and thunder struck all over them, nullifying the clouds the Akuma hid within. Lavi and Krory spotted them at last, tumbling down the sky at high speed, three measly Level Twos. The two Exorcists jumped up, using the masts for support, trying to meet the Akuma halfway. "You ready, Kuro-chan?"

The vampire nodded and Lavi rammed him with his hammer, sending him flying toward the Akuma. Krory sneakily landed atop an Akuma and proceeded to bite into it, before jumping onto the next, contaminating their blood by giving them some of his own.

"You three have been very, very bad. I would've loved to feed on you, but you've murdered too many of my comrades for me to be merciful. Now, you can taste their suffering." The Akuma's expressions twisted in pain as their skin turned into black scales, disintegrating, before vanishing completely.

Krory landed back on the ship, crimson particles of Akuma falling alongside him, like red snow. As soon as his feet hit the ship's floor, he collapsed. The crewmen and Miranda closed in around him.

"Haven't you had any Akuma blood?" Miranda asked, anxiously lifting his head and placing it on her lap. "He looks really pale!"

Their worries had to be put aside, however, when they noticed the collision a long way off from the ship. Lavi leaned against the rail, holding onto one of the ropes that helped holding the sails up. "Is that where… Lenalee… Devina…" and the explosion shook the ocean and the ship along with it. Once the light disappeared from the sky, Miranda's Time Record was set free, healing everyone on the ship and fixing its interior.

The men of the ship were busy setting the sails, fixing the ship, helping each other and trying to see if anyone's fallen over into the ocean. Lavi though, was sitting on the floor, knees pulled forward and his arms resting on his legs; his fists were drawn into his mouth. He couldn't stop seeing Lenalee and Devina, each running off to face that Level Three Akuma. His chest was tight and he felt as though his lungs were him. _Why haven't they returned to the ship yet?_

Lavi made his way to the side of the ship facing the explosion's direction; he slammed his hammer down, headfirst. "Shin,"

"Okay, everyone, now," the blonde captain, Yan, nodded to his crew before they all fell upon Lavi, holding him and Iron Hammer in place.

"Let go of me! Let me go!" Lavi fought back against the hold of at least thirty crewmembers.

"Are you out of your mind, kid?" Yan shouted back, "you've been severely injured and stepping away from the ship right now is dangerous for you. We'll sail to where they are now, just sit tight and leave this to us,"

"Why should I wait at all? I'll fly there faster on my own." Lavi hung on to the handle of his hammer, "I said let go," and he extended his hammer, members of the crew falling as it severed their way.

He was frozen in place when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, keeping him still. "Lavi-kun, please, stop!" Miranda begged.

"Miranda…" Lavi turned around to look at her.

"Don't hurt these men, they've been protecting me and the ship… Please…" Miranda fought back the tears fogging away her vision.

"I'm sorry," Lavi muttered, before he turned back around, making his way to the rail again.

"Are you sure you're not seriously injured?" Miranda asked and Lavi's head spun in circles because who gives a damn. Did no one care at all about what's become of their comrades? About what's happened to Lenalee and Devina? Miranda gripped his wrist.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Don't worry about me, Miranda."

"At least tell me where you've been hurt the most so we can wrap you up before-"

Lavi turned back around to face her; anger pulsed through his blood. He was unable to contain it or restrain himself. "None of that matters right now! Aren't you a little bit concerned about Lenalee? About Devina? Aren't they our friends?" Lavi was about to go on when he realized Miranda's lips were quivering.

She hiccupped before she said, "Aren't you our friend, too, or am I wrong?"

Lavi's lungs crashed; his eyes wide and disbelieving, his hands forming shaking fists. He was on his Iron Hammer in an instant, and then he was off.

The farther Lavi got away from the ship, the more wounds it opened up and injuries it unveiled, and Lavi was biting back screams, but he refused to stop. He had to find them. They were both in poor physical and mental shape. They were probably barely able to fight off such a strong Akuma and yet he'd let them go. It was eating at him and he couldn't really believe he'd be able to forgive himself if something had happened to either one of them.

Lavi pressed on, trying to ignore the throbbing in his arms and the stinging in his abdomen and the ache in his heart. He couldn't help remembering how each one looked while they sat there, getting reprimanded by him. How Devina did nothing but scream after she woke up, and god, he could still hear echoes of her shrieks, of her pain, reverberating through his skull. He could still hear Lenalee's questions, all the whys he hadn't dared to utter. He was going completely insane and he hated both girls for making him think the way he's been thinking, for making him remember their excruciating pain, and then feeling it, too.

"WHERE ARE YOU? LENALEE! DEVINA!" and then something splashed out of the water, yellow and enormous and flying. And it was carrying a gigantic jade crystal.

He tensed as he comprehended that the yellow thing carrying the crystal was an Akuma, but he didn't have many options. He couldn't fly around and walk on water like Lenalee, nor did he have bone-made planks and air mats to fly around like Devina.

"Are you Junior?" Lavi's face fell. "Bookman Junior, right? My hands are hurting. Can't you give me a hand, here?" the Akuma pointed at how the crystal was electrifying it. "This thing probably doesn't like me because I'm an Akuma."

Lavi's breath caught when he noticed someone was inside it, and he felt both fear and relief when he realized that the short haired, half-naked girl was Lenalee. "Lenalee!"

"She's not dead, you know?" the Akuma said.

"You piece of… what did you do to her?" Lavi demanded.

"Me? I didn't do anything; this is how I found her! This is the result of her Innocence. When she fought Ishi, her Innocence turned into this to keep her safe."

_What? Again? _Lavi was speechless. An Equipment type Innocence never acts of its own accord. The Akuma was begging for help again, seeming to almost drop Lenalee's crystalized form when Timcanpy flew straight at it, hitting it square in the head. "Timcanpy! Wait, Tim, aren't you on the wrong head there, buddy?" Lavi was beyond confused.

"Aha! You're Cross Marian's golem, Timcanpy."

"What did you just say? Marian?"

"I wonder if it senses its Master's scent on me, since he's using me. I know Akuma are evil, but I've been remodeled by Cross Marian, which is why I'm helping." The Akuma explained.

Lavi's shoulders slumped, having no choice but to trust the Akuma for the time being and asking it for further help. "Have you seen another Exorcist?" he asked, his voice lower than he'd intended. "The two were supposed to be fighting together…" he trailed.

The Akuma was silent, seeming to think. "I think I saw something a few miles from here," it finally answered.

"What? Can you take me?"

"I don't think I can manage to move at all," the Akuma whined, pointing once again to its electrocuted hands.

"Okay, okay. How about you head back to the ship and I'll look for Devina," Lavi compromised.

"But you don't trust me," the Akuma argued.

"Yes, but if I don't start trusting you, Lenalee will end up at the bottom of the ocean and I can't carry that crystal." Lavi countered. The Akuma's eyes teared up before it nodded vigorously and whirled towards the ship.

Lavi sighed before he began scanning the surface of the ocean for any sign of life. He regretted not asking the Akuma which direction it had seen her, but he couldn't do anything about it now and going back to the ship would be a waste of time. His eye worked speedily, trying to locate Devina. He sat back on his hammer's handle and moved forward.

It took him several minutes before he spotted a mass of wavy black hair, and he was beside her in less than a second. Her upper half was bent in on her stomach over a large plank of bones, creamy and shiny, reflecting the fluorescent light of the moon. Her lower half was underwater. Lavi leaned in and draped an arm around her waist, flinching at the contact with the icy water. He drew her into his side, her head resting on his chest, her forehead meeting his neck, and he leaned his ear close to her mouth. She was not breathing.

Lavi's heart was thumping loudly in panic, and he didn't know what to do because his heart had always been steady. "Devina?" he called to her, clinging to a sliver of hope that she was still alive. "Devina, wake up, Devina." He was surprised at how calm he sounded, how his voice completely contrasted his emotions because they were raw and fresh and edgy. "Devina, you've got to open your eyes. You've got to breathe, come on. Come on." He leaned against the handle of his hammer, using his left arm to support his weight. He turned Devina, cradling her against his left arm, barely holding on and he used his right hand to ram it into her chest, trying to resuscitate her. But it was not working; she was still limp in his arms, her face paler than he'd ever seen it.

It couldn't be helped. Lavi pinched the bridge of her nose and tilted her head back, bringing his face closer to hers. He hesitated, only briefly, before he sealed her lips with his, exhaling into her mouth. Her lips tasted of salt and ash and something sweet.

He pulled back, pressed his hand against her chest thirty times before he inhaled, and then exhaled into her mouth again. "Come on, Devina, don't die on me."

And somehow, she seemed to have heard him because water sputtered out of her plump lips in ounces and she coughed so hard, he thought her lungs were going to come out of her. But her eyes did not open.

"Alright. Alright. I can live with that for now," Lavi nodded, smiling slightly as he pulled her against him again, and his smile stretched once he felt her soft breaths tickling his collarbone.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey guys! I know I'm late again and I seem to be making up a lot of excuses lately but I started work this week and I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I didn't have enough time to post on Wednesday, but I am here now. Expect upcoming updates during the weekends from now on. Weekdays are busier for me now._

_On a happy note, there's some action at the end of this one. I hope you enjoy that._

_Please, leave me your thoughts and opinions. I haven't written in ages, and I still have enough written material to last me up to chapter 20 or 20something. But if you don't want this to be abandoned, please review! xox_


	13. Chapter 13

Bookman was not pleased with Lavi and Lavi could sense it the moment his feet landed onto the ship with Devina in his arms.

"Lavi!" everyone was yelling his name but he was looking around, trying to find Lenalee. She was slumped to the side of the ship, still inside that crystal, and Lavi felt relief wash over him.

"You found her!" Miranda gasped and he nodded silently. It seemed odd to keep carrying her, so he placed her gently on the ground, his eye betraying him, stealing a last glance at her lips before he turned to Anita.

"Can someone find her a blanket or something? She's freezing," Anita nodded, issuing the order before Mahoja wrapped two blankets around Devina and she held Devina to her chest.

"What happened?" Bookman was the first to break the silence afterward. "How can this be?" His questions diverted everyone's attention back to Lenalee's crystalized form.

"Lenalee-chan!" Anita cried out, running towards Lenalee. The Innocence disliked that; it seemed to be repelling her because Anita was on the floor, tears stinging her eyes.

Bookman intervened, dragging Anita back. "Unless you're an Exorcist, being near the Innocence is harmful so please stay back."

"Gramps, what's going on?" Lavi managed to utter. "Is this a recap of what happened with Devina? The Innocence protecting its host…"

"That's not what matters right now. What matters is that it's an Equipment type and it's acting on its own," Bookman paused. "An Innocence saving its user, that is indeed odd, and for it to unravel twice before us, like this… If such a phenomena is possible, why didn't the other fragments of Innocence protect the disciples who have died in this war? A Parasitic isn't very unusual, but this… Is it because it's Lenalee, or is this something that will be noted down in history?"

Lavi was staring at Bookman intently. He realized what Bookman was hinting at. Lenalee could be-

"Maybe she's the Heart?" the yellow Akuma suddenly popped out of thin air and Lavi immediately thrust his hammer at its big yellow face, the tip of it between its eyes. "What is your problem? I told you I was on your side and I brought that Innocence all the way here and you still don't trust me? Sheesh,"

"How could I trust an Akuma like you? You say you're an Akuma used by Cross Marian, but what proof have you got?" Lavi argued.

"I told you, I was modified by Cross!"

"It's too hard to trust something like you," and Lavi went back to assaulting the Akuma.

"Let it go, Lavi. Cross Marian is the only one capable of modifying Akuma; no one in the Black Order knows about his ability, except for me." Bookman explained. The Akuma taunted Lavi and stuck its tongue out at him. "Since Tim can't leave his side, you can rest assured."

"You guys should be thanking me instead of poking your weapons in my face. I was the one who made sure your ship wouldn't sink after all. Now, let me hear it, say thank you!"

"No way!" Lavi retorted but changed his mind at the Akuma's unrelenting glare. "Thank you very much."

"I still don't understand why the ship was sinking, though," Miranda interjected.

"It was probably that Level Three's ability, it must've had something to do with controlling gravity. Say, if a modified Level Two went up against a Level Three, would the result be the same as when a normal Level Two faces a Level Three?" Bookman questioned.

"Yup, being modified won't help me defeat a Level Three or boost me up to be able to do anything about its abilities," the Akuma answered. "You have them to thank for beating that Level Three," it pointed at Lenalee and Devina, and the entire ship turned to look at the green crystal, and the girl slumped against Mahoja, who was treating her mistress as well. "Anyway, there's not much time left. I'm supposed to relay a message from Marian. He's not dead and he's made it to Japan to complete his mission."

"A mission?" Lavi asked, while Mahoja briefed her mistress on Cross Marian's survival, who in return seemed very grateful and relieved. "Has the General made it to Edo?"

"He's almost there," at Lavi's questioning look, the Akuma resumed, "but he can't get any closer."

"Why Edo?"

"There's an egg there, a very big one; it's the Akuma's factory and his mission is to destroy it."

"So… the General's actually doing his job?" Miranda, Bookman and Lavi murmured in surprise.

The Akuma continued as if it hadn't been interrupted. "He's been struggling with this mission and it's been harder than he'd anticipated. So when he heard you were after him, he sent me here to you,"

Lavi chuckled, "well, we've been busy ourselves, defeating Akuma, dealing with the Noah and possible Heart candidates… Has he sent you to ask for our help?"

"Nope, he's sent me to deliver a warning. If you believe you'll be a hindrance after you hear this, please head back home." The Akuma was met by the Exorcists' shocked faces.

"So, what did the General say?" Bookman inquired.

"Japan has fallen under the Earl's control, and Edo is home to countless Akuma stronger than the Level Three you've encountered. The chances of making it out alive are extremely low."

At the end of the Akuma's message delivery, a beam of light shot toward the sky from within Lenalee's Innocence. She descended slowly as it dwindled.

Lavi jerked forward, catching her and then he held her head up, "Lenalee! Lenalee!" He noticed her right arm fall, palm opening and out came a golden hair clip.

Lenalee's eyes slowly opened, tears forming and falling down her cheeks. "Lavi… Am I… Am I really still a part of this world?"

Lavi wasn't aware of the tear that rolled down his cheek, "you idiot…" He grabbed her closer and held her.

"Lavi," Lenalee jerked, "where's Devina?"

Something inside of Lavi cracked because he's been worried sick about Lenalee that he forgot Devina was unconscious somewhere, and his eye was immediately looking for her, the other stupid girl who had rushed to save his friend while he stood there helpless. He gulped down the scream that was threatening to rip out of his throat and instead nodded toward Devina, whose head was laid atop Mahoja's thigh. "She's unconscious."

Lenalee sat up, drawing away from Lavi, and he let her. "She's… insane," Lenalee fumed angrily, "I told her to leave me and get back to the ship but she wouldn't listen, like some stubborn little child-"

"Would you have left her behind, Lenalee?" Lavi interrupted.

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with everything. Would you have left her behind even though your Innocence was acting up?" Lavi repeated his question; Lenalee shook her head, silently. "Right. Then how can you expect to protect your friends but not have them protect you back? How is that fair?"

Lenalee's eyes were filled to the brim with tears unshed. "But…"

"I know," he nodded, "but she's stronger than we know. She'll wake up when she's ready." Lavi was not sure whether he was saying that to make Lenalee feel better or to patch the stretching crack in his heart. He made his way to the three women on the side and picked Devina up.

"We need to sort this out now," Bookman's voice boomed, "do we go forward, or go back?"

"We go forward." Lenalee answered at once. "If we stop here, we'd be throwing away all the lives and sacrifices that have been made till now." She tried to stand up but her legs were not cooperating, so she sat herself down, pretending nothing was wrong, calculating how to move.

"I think I agree with Lenalee," Lavi said, helping her to her feet with the arm he wasn't using to carry Devina, while Krory took Lenalee's other arm and helped her stand.

"I agree, too," Miranda and Krory chorused, and it was settled. They were going to move forward.

* * *

_Devina was running, her surroundings hazy and foggy and somewhat shiny, and she realized she must be dreaming because her life had been anything but glittery lately. She was climbing a massive staircase, she realized once her eyes focused and at the end of the first landing, she came across a furnished table, ornamented with all sorts of haute cuisine. Devina paused as her stomach reacted to the sight, and she trudged forward but froze mid-step when several shadows crept in from the corners of the room. They were all obscure, except for one handsome familiar stranger._

_Devina gasped in recognition. "You? What do you want?"_

_"__Welcome back, Devina," the Noah greeted her, eyes golden and glinting in the darkness; he offered her a hand._

_Devina blinked at him disbelievingly, but she took his hand in order to be done with this silly dream. He led her toward the highest chair at the top of the table, and held back her seat before she sat down awkwardly and he pushed in her chair to help seat her._

_Devina didn't understand why this Noah was acting like her live-in butler, and why she was tolerating it, and why she was having a dream about a Noah to begin with. Her heart began to race and she thrummed her fingers along the edge of the chair._

_"__What do you want, Noah?" she asked impatiently._

_"__Please, call me Tyki," the Noah replied with a smirk. She wanted to bash his perfect white teeth in._

_"__Tyki, then, what can I do for you?"_

_"__Oh," and he was suddenly inches from her face, "plenty, dear Devina," his face was inches away; his nose almost touching hers. "But, for the time being, I'm here to serve you," his gloved hand touched her cheek and she recoiled, away from his touch. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is not what we've talked about, love. You shouldn't fight me."_

_"__What the hell are you talking about?" Devina demanded. "When did I ever speak to you?"_

_Tyki seemed to raise an eyebrow at her, "hmm, you really don't remember?"_

_Devina huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "No. I don't. Now, tell me what you want."_

_He seemed to muse, "Nothing much for now, just try to remember, love. This is important." Devina has never been this confused. "You need to remember,"_

_"__Remember what, you arrogant dipshit?" she yelled._

_Tyki froze. His chest erupted in gales of laughter. "Yes, that's more like it," he leaned in and patted her head. "We'll meet again, soon, Devina. You better remember everything by then, or things will be so very complicated-"_

_"__Tell me what I'm supposed to remember."_

_"__How you're going to end up on our side," he answered, smiling widely, and Devina gasped._

_"__I could never end up on your side, you-"_

_"__We will see about that." Tyki's grin was wide and menacing._

* * *

Her eyes shot open, and she was breathing in frantically. Devina was met with Miranda's concerned gaze, who immediately chanted, "you're okay, you're okay."

"Where are we?" Devina croaked, immediately realizing they were no longer on the ship. She sat up, nearly bumping Miranda's head and was greeted with Krory's kind smile.

"We're on a boat." He answered.

* * *

_Author's Note: I was almost ready to give this up, when I came across the news of Hoshino's return on Instagram. I have to persevere, I guess._


End file.
